The day Shenita Frith laid eyes on an infant girl named My’Laysia, she knew she’d found the child she had longed to adopt.
It didn’t matter that the 1-month-old girl was in the pediatric intensive care unit at Blair E. Batson Hospital in Jackson, where doctors were treating her for severe head trauma and other injuries inflicted by her mother.
It didn’t matter that physicians told Frith that My’Laysia probably wouldn’t be able to walk or talk, or that she had life-threatening injuries.
All that mattered was that God had answered her prayers for a child to adopt. She didn’t know what to expect, but doctors told her not to expect much.
“Just take her home and love her,” they said.
And that’s what she did.
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My’Laysia came into the world on July 5, 2008, with a strike against her. Shortly after birth, she required surgery to correct an intestinal birth defect, and she had sickle cell trait.
But on Oct. 24, 2008, her tiny life changed.
My’Laysia was rushed to Walthall County General Hospital in Tylertown and later airlifted to University Medical Center in Jackson.
There, doctors treated her for blunt head trauma. They noticed retinal hemorrhaging, rib fractures in her right chest, multiple fingertip bruises on her body and blunt trauma on her left thigh. She showed signs of a previous clavicle fracture and she was malnourished, with no weight gain over a month’s time. Medical evidence indicated that My’Laysia had suffered numerous periods of trauma, with the most severe to her head.
“Battered child syndrome is the most likely diagnosis,” a physicians’ assessment stated.
One doctor had a particularly grim message.
“I have reviewed the patient’s CT scan. It is quite frankly one of the worst I have seen. ... Her prognosis for any type of functional progress is hopeless. This is a very severe case of non-accidental abuse.”
After reviewing medical and law enforcement evidence, a Walthall County grand jury indicted My’Laysia’s mother on a charge of felonious child abuse, and her boyfriend with felonious child neglect for permitting the continued physical abuse.
My’Laysia’s mother pleaded guilty to felonious child abuse and was ordered to spend 40 years, 12 suspended, in prison. The boyfriend was sentenced to 10 years, six suspended.
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Frith, an employee of the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services in McComb, is a divorced mother of three children, two of whom are grown.
Son Debronski is 22, daughter Marissa is 19 and son Isaiah is 15.
Frith was proud of her children, but she felt an emptiness. After her 2001 divorce, she began to have the desire for a child. Reversing a tubal ligation was too expensive, so Frith resigned herself to the fact that she would not bear any more children.
Still, she wanted to love a child.
Frith said her family thought she was a little crazy or just going through some life phase.
Then, a co-worker at the rehabilitation services suggested that Frith consider foster care or adoption.
And for a year, Frith prayed about it and turned it over in her head. Her family still wasn’t sold on the idea, but after clearance from the Department of Family and Children’s Services, Frith began fostering children.
It was — and continues to be — a rewarding experience. But Frith still wanted to adopt a baby.
Then came the day in the fall of 2008 when Walthall County family case worker Jayme Baughtman called Frith with good news: there was a baby up for adoption. The bad news: the child was in the critical care unit at UMC.
“I went to see her in the hospital,” Frith said. “She was just laying there looking, staring. She was just there.”
My’Laysia did not display a single emotion. She didn’t even cry.
When she was ready to be released, Frith brought 3-month-old My’Laysia home to Walthall County in October 2008.
“She was just this big,” Marissa said, as she held out a hand to show how tiny her baby sister was.
My’Laysia was out of the hospital, but she had a long medical road ahead.
She still suffers from the results of brain trauma and takes medication for seizures. After her trauma, she suffered paralysis on one side of her body. She undergoes speech therapy and occupational therapy to help regain her strength. Sometimes when she talks, she closes her eyes and zones out for a few seconds. That, too, is a result of her abuse, Frith said. And My’Laysia has routine visits doctors — among them, a neurologist, pediatrician and gastroenterologist.
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Now, at age 3, My’Laysia is a live wire. She’s in constant motion, jumping up and down, hugging and kissing her brother, sister, mother and her toys, jabbering and calling out to others.
She has a special walker that allows her to stand on her feet and wheel around all over the house. And like other 3-year-olds, she knows what the Golden Arches at McDonald’s mean — french fries. She attends day care in McComb and is in class with her age group.
Pronounce a word — any word — and ask her to say it, and she’ll give it a try. Sometimes it’s very recognizable, sometimes not, but she tries.
She loves her family, her dog, her grandparents, church family and her foster brother.
Frith said the 4-year-old who’s in her care has been a blessing for My’Laysia, who has taken Frith’s maiden name of Jefferson.
“He was good for her,” Frith said. “She wasn’t verbal at all. ... He was her cheering squad.”
My’Laysia’s addition to the family has been profound.
“I hadn’t put up a Christmas tree in years,” Frith said.
Now, she gets into the spirit.
“She’s changed the whole place.”
And what do the medical personnel who said My’Laysia’s prognosis was “hopeless” have to say now?
“They can’t believe it’s the same child,” Frith said.
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Tara LeBlanc, supervisor for Walthall County Family and Children’s Services, said she’s especially pleased that My’Laysia and Shenita Frith found each other.
“They have always loved My’Laysia and treated her like she was part of their family,” LeBlanc said.
Frith was impressed by the level of care that family and children’s services provided for her daughter.
“They were wonderful. My’Laysia didn’t want for anything. They took care of her,” Frith said, adding her thanks not only to LeBlanc, but to Baughtman, department homemaker Sue Alford and resource specialist Glenda Rushing.
Frith feared she wouldn’t be able to adopt or to have foster children because she’s a single mother. But department rules allow single parents or married couples to care for children.
“When we become involved it’s because of a report of abuse or neglect,” LeBlanc said. “We need more foster parents like Frith. When we bring children in care they need families to step in and foster them as if they’re their biological parents. ...Children with special needs are more difficult to place. They require lots of care.
“I really want to express we need more foster families,” LeBlanc said. “Remember, a child is waiting to hear from you and from others wanting to be foster or adoptive parents.”
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For more information about foster care program in Mississippi, call toll-free (800) 345-6347.
