Jul 18, 2009 2:41 pm US/Mountain
Single Mom Makes Tough Decision, Gets Gift
Written for the Web by CBS4 Special Projects Producer Libby Smith
DENVER (CBS4) ―
-
-
CBS4's Suzanne McCarroll talks with Katie Lee and her family.
CBS
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for Katie Lee. The single mother of two has practically moved into the Children's Hospital in Denver while her 10-week old son, Allen, recovers from reconstructive heart surgery.
"The other night he smiled more than he's smiled in his whole life. It was amazing. You can tell he's feeling better," Lee told CBS4.
A moment no mother could bare to miss. Lee has been at the hospital with Allen since June 30. When doctors realized there was something seriously wrong with the baby, the family took Flight for Life to Denver, and they've been there ever since.
"Allen needs me. He needs to know that somebody's here. He sees a million different faces every day, but the one constant face that he sees is mine and I think he needs to know that that hope and that everything is going to be okay," Lee explained.
After two weeks at the hospital, Lee got a call from her employer, Swire Coca Cola in Grand Junction. If she didn't show up for work on Monday, July 13th she'd be resigning her job.
"So he was making me choose between my family and my career."
There's a loophole in the Family Medical Leave Act that leaves Lee without a job. While Coca Cola is a large national company, the branch that Lee worked at employs less than 50 people. The law exempts companies with less than 50 employees within a 75 mile radius.
"I was pretty upset because I really loved my job. I was good at it and I wanted to make a lifetime career out of it," Lee added.
Lee's first priority is her children so she stayed with Allen. And now she's without a job, without insurance, and faces more than $300,000 in medical bills.
Baby Allen stirred something in the hearts of CBS4 viewers. Eileen O'Connor wants to invite Allen's mother, Katie, over for dinner in her Denver home. She also asked CBS4 News to pay it forward giving the single mother $1,000 to help with the bills.
"I guess the story touched me because the lady was so sweet and she didn't ask for anything." said O'Connor.
O'Connor feels a loyalty to Children's Hospital. She attended nursing school there back in the 1950's. Baby Allen's big blue eyes on T.V., she said, were irresistible.
Additional Resources:
If you want to make a donation to the Lee family, a fund has been set up:
Allen Lee Fund
Bank Of The West in Salida
146 G Street
Salida, Colorado 81201
(© MMX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments