PARENTS' STORIES AND LETTERS

IN REMEMBRANCE OF MY BEAUTIFUL BABY COREY!
December 17, 1999

The pain I feel as I write these things about my beautiful baby Corey is a pain I hope and pray others may never experience, for it is unlike any pain you will ever know. 

My beautiful baby Corey was most definitely a gift from God, a blessing to me.  I will without any doubt miss him more than anyone can imagine.  Within the short time I was blessed with him the joys were and still are countless in my memories and in my heart.  My heart aches to see him looking up at me smiling or to hear him say isn't that unfair momma when he meant to say isn't that fair momma. I ache to know he will no longer bring me flowers to put a smile on my face or be able to watch him play with his brothers or give his little brother piggy back rides.  

I already long to hear his sweet voice ring out with laughter and happiness and sometimes when he got mad.  Oh how I burn with pain because I know I will not hear him tell me how pretty I am when I get dressed up, nor will I feel his precious little arms wrap around me.  And the sweet kisses that he so often gave me.  I can not recall a day that I didn't receive a hug, a kiss, and I love you momma as I would do the same with him. With the exception of that last day when he went home to our Father in Heaven. 

You see my baby Corey was a blessing that God allowed me to have for such a short time and I will cherish that time until I can join him with our Father in Heaven.  My Beautiful Baby Corey did so love to help anyone who needed help.  He would gladly help mow and rack the yard.  He would give his new toys to other children in return for their old ones simply to make them happy.  He always wanted to help those who were less fortunate than we were.  He also loved going to church to learn about Jesus.  He knew that Jesus loves him and he knew that our Father in Heaven loves us all.  That in itself is a great comfort to me.  So you can see my beautiful baby Corey had a heart that was so full of love that it flowed out of every ounce of his being. 

He touched every person's heart that he came in contact with and to him no one was a stranger.  I thank God that he made it possible for me to spend the majority of my time in the past year especially at home, so I could have the time and memories that I will carry with me from here on out.  I have to say I am a very selfish mother because I know my beautiful baby Corey is with out Father in Heaven and happier than he could have ever been here on earth with us, but I can not help the desperate need I have to Hold him, to Kiss him and to tell him I Love Him So Very Much and the longing to share life with him because he is so very dear to me.  As you can see I have so much to be thankful for and yet, at the same time I feel this intense burning pain and confusion swirls through my mind.  I feel as if I am dying inside and walking around void of a great part of my life. 

My Beautiful baby Corey I Love You All The Way To The Sky And Back, And Even Further Than That.  So I make this promise to you.  I promise to do my best to walk the road that will bring us together again one day in the future.  I will ask God to help me with my journey because I know I can not walk that road without his help! I Love You Baby!

My Beautiful Baby Corey is and always will be missed so very much by me, his brothers, and many others.

WHAT HAPPENED
ON DEC. 17th, 1999, my baby Corey who was 5 years old was run over by the very school bus that he had just gotten off of to come home.  My Baby died that very day.  The doctor's words haunt me to this day, “He is gone... and if he had been run over by a regular vehicle he would have survived because he was so healthy.”  There are other details that I cannot voice at this time concerning the accident itself but in time I will be able to speak freely of exactly what happened that day.

MY FIGHT
I ask for the public's help in getting school buses redesigned in order to protect our children from these kinds of senseless fatalities.  Buses need to be lower to the ground like a car or van.  The drivers seat needs to be lower to the ground in order to see the smaller children like my son.  Better mirrors so the drivers can see to the ground.  Motion detectors so that the drivers will be aware that someone is too close to the bus to move.

Windows that do not open enough for a child to put his or her head out.  A bus helper to make sure all children are clear from the bus and across the street safely before the bus resumes its route.  Better bus routes, better bus stops, bus drivers have a mandatory course in what to do in case of accidents, injury to a child or traumatizing situations.  A mandatory course in CPR, what to do in life threatening situations and what not to do in life threatening situations.  I am sure there are many other ideas on how to keep our children safe. 

Please let me hear from you!  I would like to hear your comments, personal experiences and Ideas on how to improve school bus transportation. So that one day we may be able to present new Safety Laws and School Bus Regulations to Washington for consideration of New Safer Standards to PROTECT OUR CHILDREN!

I also feel that the public should be informed of the dangers their children are in when riding a school bus.  I had no idea that my child was in danger until it was too late.

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