3-year-old girl attacked by pit bull

I am Renee Cook (Mother of Sivya) and I'm asking for help. We are in the final days of the custody trial. The scheduled date is May 6th, 2024. I have to be in Oklahoma for 2 days, but it may be more time becsuse of the trial and waiting while a decision is being made. There is no way to know how the judge will decide. I want to be clear: this trial is not to keep Sivya away from her father, but to ensure that her health, education, safety, and well being is secure. I am asking for help for lodging, current lawyer fees of $3000.00, and travel expenses.

Update on Sivya:

She is doing extremely well. So many of you helped us through such a terrible time. We are so very grateful for your huge support, monetary help and many prayers. Currently, we have developed two IEPs (individual education plans) with our school. One IEP is to help her speech and one is for behavioral development. For speech, Sivya has been doing her best with the dental issues that occurred. The behavioral development has been affected by the way other children interact with her. We have had some issues with other children making comments about her scars. As parents, we all hope that children can use compassion taught by their families to handle situations like this. Sivya's experiences, however, have been very different. I have spoken with her class to explain Sivya's scars, but she still has problems with reactions from others. Along with that, we have been struggling with sickness for the past year. This has caused a loss of income from work so that I could stay with her. One of her surgeries that was scheduled more than a year ahead had to be canceled due to her being diagnosed with covid and, unfortunately, she had to go through it again one month later.

It has been a very trying year, but I can truly say I haven't given up. Sivya's wellbeing is the priority and keeps me going. There have been times that I've thought it would be better if I gave up the custody trial to save money, but I never did because of my child's safety. Some of you out there may have been in the same position as me at one point in your lives. I am asking for help, not for me but for Sivya.

Our background story:

On Friday, 11/20/2020, during a week of visitation with her father in Oklahoma, our granddaughter Sivya White-Cook was attacked by her uncle's pit bull in Oologah. Sivya is a vibrant, energetic 3-year old whose life has been suddenly changed into a nightmare. She is now at St. Francis Children's Hospital in Tulsa with 15 skull fractures, a broken jaw and nose, and had to have part of her face reconstructed. Her face and head are stitched, and she has had 2 metal plates put into her skull to protect her brain. She is also being subjected to a series of rabies shots due to the lack of vaccination records for the dog. It is too early to tell if there are any brain injuries as a result of this attack.

I am Jeannie Furst, (grandmother of Sivya White-Cook) and I live in Lawrence, KS. I am raising funds to go to a specific bank account (with a debit card) so that our foster daughter, Renee Cook (who is the beneficiary of the account and is Sivya's mother), can withdraw money to meet their needs while Sivya is healing and she is staying in Oklahoma. Renee lived with us for several years and is currently living in Lawrence, KS as well. She works full time and is being allowed time off to be with Sivya. The GoFundMe account is set up so that she alone can have the needed funds to withdraw as soon as possible for mounting medical and legal expenses. It is unknown at this time whether the home where this incident took place has homeowner's insurance, and Sivya's father does not have medical insurance. Renee does have medical insurance, but the company is refusing to pay until it is determined that there is no other funding available. Renee may be required to pay for Sivya's care upfront. This is really overwhelming.

The story was broadcasted by KOTV channel 6 in Tulsa on Tuesday Nov. 24th at 10:02:58 pm CST. Links to this story have been posted on Facebook by members of Renee's family.

This story was also featured by KCTV Channel 5 in Kansas City on Dec. 2nd and can be viewed at this link:

https://www.kctv5.com/news/local_news/3-year-old-lawrence-girl-remains-hospitalized-following-pit-bull-mauling/article_b891c9be-34f7-11eb-afbd-e3e6f3396f27.html?fbclid=IwAR0h4rlRK3UqeQG62rEKgnZhEGBB1ImU61h6Kfhz2Vg_jOs7tBWGTh7yig4

Renee's expenses will include:

Legal fees: So far, money owed to Renee's lawyer is $2500 ($2000 retainer plus 2 hours consultation so far at $250/hour). The full balance owed is yet to be determined as her case goes forward.

Medical expenses: The exact amount is unknown so far, but we are expecting it to be at least $100,000 and we will determine the estimated amount through the hospital. We'll update that information here in this campaign as it progresses.

Living expenses:  Renee still has to pay rent and utilities to maintain her apartment in Lawrence KS ($700 per month) while staying outside her home state to take care of Sivya. She will also need funds for transportation, food and living expenses while in OK. Renee is being allowed to stay at the hospital with Sivya, but they do not provide food or living expenses.

So, friends and family, we need your prayers for her, and your support as we journey down a very dark road. We are asking you to help our little girl mend and come home to her family.