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Tiger's sister, Micaela touched our hearts with her heartbreaking story about her brother, Tiger and the chain of events that have occured since 2014. Micaela's hope and dream is to take her brother to Disneyland, the Happiest Place on Earth, while he can still see and remember the experience. Tiger requires full time care by Micaela and here is her story:
My Special Brother, Tiger
On August 10, 2014, the day I happily escorted my very excited brother to catch the bus to go on his annual camping trip, he was able-bodied, independent and, according to a doctor’s assessment four months earlier, was free of any signs of dementia, Alzheimer’s, or PTSD, which made the annual camp staffed at 6-to-1 a good fit for Tiger. He had previously attended more than ten annual camping trips and a trip to Graceland with this same company. Tiger talks for months about his annual camping trip with the Sacramento area organization who serves special needs adults; it’s the hi-light of his year!
At 3:00 a.m. on August 15th, the day I was to get Tiger at a Sacramento area pick-up point after his week at camp, I received a call from the camp director asking me to drive to Santa Cruz to pick-up my brother immediately, rather than wait to pick him up in Sacramento later that afternoon, because he was expressing behavior issues and not following directives. We, as a family, had never before received any sort of behavior related phone calls regarding Tiger while he was away for his annual camping trips – he was the camper who would come home with awards like, “Neatest Camper,” “Best Dancer,” “Most Fun Camper,” “Biggest Helper,” “Ladies Man…” The director also off-handedly told me during our call that Tiger had apparently fallen, was complaining of hip and leg pain, and had asked for a wheel chair – she informed me that she and the counselors thought he was simply attention-seeking and denied the wheelchair request.
When I finally arrived at the camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Tiger was asleep on a sofa in the Arts & Crafts building which was at least 100 yards from the cabin where he was when I received the phone call. He was obviously injured and smelled of defection. The director let me know that they had been asking Tiger to walk to the bathroom and showers, but he would not comply – she said they cleaned him up the best they could - it was obvious to me at the time that he was in too much pain to have followed their directives, but had somehow been forced to walk to the Arts and Crafts building, in the middle of the night, while the camp director was away from the camp making the phone call to me. I asked for a wheelchair to transport my brother to my van, still unsure of the extent of Tiger’s injury, but with the certainty that he could not walk on his own from the signs of his physical shaking, his sincere complaining of pain, and the glassy look in his eyes. In retrospect, I now know that Tiger was in shock.
After leaving the camp, I drove Tiger to Kaiser and x-rays clearly showed that the ball of his left hip was broken off and displaced. He told the doctor and nursing staff, “Big guy push me, hurt me.” Apparently a counselor, who was over six feet tall (Tiger is 4’9”), had pushed-down my brother which resulted in his hip break, and then he had been forced to endure hours of excruciating pain, including standing and walking, that obviously led to his “behavioral issues” at the camp. I have no idea how many hours my brother was forced to endure such horrible pain and awful treatment from the camp staff. Any questions to the camp director and head of the department were met with side-stepping and lack of accountability. I pursued legal action, but it became a case of he-said/she-said since Tiger does not have the clear verbal capacity, or the camp counselors to come forward in support, to convey the truth of his story. I was advised to not seek further action, especially since no one from the camp would testify, and put Tiger on the stand to endure challenging cross-examination which would definitely be confusing and scary for him, and possibly further exacerbate his resultant PTSD.
Tiger, the once extremely independent, artistically talented, outgoing Visual and Performing Artist now has difficulty signing his name. Gone are the days of his drawing light houses; gone are the Elvis impersonations he used to love to share and his impressive dance moves, as his balance and zest for life have been hampered since his abuse. Two and ½ years after the camp counselor’s and camp staff’s negligent mistreatment; my sweet brother now lives with daily use of a walker, wheel chair needs when in busy public places, growing dementia symptoms, undergarments to aide with incontinence, PTSD episodes, and has Protective Supervision under state guidelines (he cannot be left alone), and requires a Personal Assistant to help care for him when he is not with me, his legal conservator and guardian.
Tiger loves Super Heroes and Mickey Mouse. It is my desire to take him to Disneyland while he still has the mental capacity to enjoy his time there, and recognize Mickey Mouse. I also want to purchase an Advance Mobility jog stroller so we may easily and safely transport Tiger around the park, and in busy public places, in general.
Thank you, sincerely, for any support you may give.
~Micaela Muro Dimos, Sister & Legal Conservator of Tiger.
My Special Brother, Tiger
On August 10, 2014, the day I happily escorted my very excited brother to catch the bus to go on his annual camping trip, he was able-bodied, independent and, according to a doctor’s assessment four months earlier, was free of any signs of dementia, Alzheimer’s, or PTSD, which made the annual camp staffed at 6-to-1 a good fit for Tiger. He had previously attended more than ten annual camping trips and a trip to Graceland with this same company. Tiger talks for months about his annual camping trip with the Sacramento area organization who serves special needs adults; it’s the hi-light of his year!
At 3:00 a.m. on August 15th, the day I was to get Tiger at a Sacramento area pick-up point after his week at camp, I received a call from the camp director asking me to drive to Santa Cruz to pick-up my brother immediately, rather than wait to pick him up in Sacramento later that afternoon, because he was expressing behavior issues and not following directives. We, as a family, had never before received any sort of behavior related phone calls regarding Tiger while he was away for his annual camping trips – he was the camper who would come home with awards like, “Neatest Camper,” “Best Dancer,” “Most Fun Camper,” “Biggest Helper,” “Ladies Man…” The director also off-handedly told me during our call that Tiger had apparently fallen, was complaining of hip and leg pain, and had asked for a wheel chair – she informed me that she and the counselors thought he was simply attention-seeking and denied the wheelchair request.
When I finally arrived at the camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Tiger was asleep on a sofa in the Arts & Crafts building which was at least 100 yards from the cabin where he was when I received the phone call. He was obviously injured and smelled of defection. The director let me know that they had been asking Tiger to walk to the bathroom and showers, but he would not comply – she said they cleaned him up the best they could - it was obvious to me at the time that he was in too much pain to have followed their directives, but had somehow been forced to walk to the Arts and Crafts building, in the middle of the night, while the camp director was away from the camp making the phone call to me. I asked for a wheelchair to transport my brother to my van, still unsure of the extent of Tiger’s injury, but with the certainty that he could not walk on his own from the signs of his physical shaking, his sincere complaining of pain, and the glassy look in his eyes. In retrospect, I now know that Tiger was in shock.
After leaving the camp, I drove Tiger to Kaiser and x-rays clearly showed that the ball of his left hip was broken off and displaced. He told the doctor and nursing staff, “Big guy push me, hurt me.” Apparently a counselor, who was over six feet tall (Tiger is 4’9”), had pushed-down my brother which resulted in his hip break, and then he had been forced to endure hours of excruciating pain, including standing and walking, that obviously led to his “behavioral issues” at the camp. I have no idea how many hours my brother was forced to endure such horrible pain and awful treatment from the camp staff. Any questions to the camp director and head of the department were met with side-stepping and lack of accountability. I pursued legal action, but it became a case of he-said/she-said since Tiger does not have the clear verbal capacity, or the camp counselors to come forward in support, to convey the truth of his story. I was advised to not seek further action, especially since no one from the camp would testify, and put Tiger on the stand to endure challenging cross-examination which would definitely be confusing and scary for him, and possibly further exacerbate his resultant PTSD.
Tiger, the once extremely independent, artistically talented, outgoing Visual and Performing Artist now has difficulty signing his name. Gone are the days of his drawing light houses; gone are the Elvis impersonations he used to love to share and his impressive dance moves, as his balance and zest for life have been hampered since his abuse. Two and ½ years after the camp counselor’s and camp staff’s negligent mistreatment; my sweet brother now lives with daily use of a walker, wheel chair needs when in busy public places, growing dementia symptoms, undergarments to aide with incontinence, PTSD episodes, and has Protective Supervision under state guidelines (he cannot be left alone), and requires a Personal Assistant to help care for him when he is not with me, his legal conservator and guardian.
Tiger loves Super Heroes and Mickey Mouse. It is my desire to take him to Disneyland while he still has the mental capacity to enjoy his time there, and recognize Mickey Mouse. I also want to purchase an Advance Mobility jog stroller so we may easily and safely transport Tiger around the park, and in busy public places, in general.
Thank you, sincerely, for any support you may give.
~Micaela Muro Dimos, Sister & Legal Conservator of Tiger.
Organizer and beneficiary
Mandy Tovar
Organizer
Elk Grove, CA
Micaela Muro Dimos
Beneficiary
