You know, I thought it was sad during an earlier visit to the United States when I saw a tv lottery show where people were hoping to win to take care of medical bills. Now this...

Police identify mother of boy abandoned in supermarket

Updated: Fri, Aug 18 04:49 PM EDT

CALGARY (CP) - The mother of a four-year-old boy abandoned in a Calgary supermarket was identified Friday as a woman from Washington state. Calgary police said he is Suzanna McCarty, 46, who until recently lived in Port Angeles. Her son, who had been left with a plaintive note asking authorities to find a good home for him, was identified as Avery McCarty, also an American citizen.Her note said she could no longer care for the boy. It had called him Abraham, or AyBe for short.

Doctors who have examined the boy say he has metaphyseal dysplasia, a rare genetic disorder and a form of dwarfism. He stands 30 inches tall and weighs 27 pounds, closer to the size of a toddler than a pre-schooler.

The two were identified following the release this week of a grocery store videotape and still photos of the boy. The video shows a woman entering the supermarket with a child in a shopping cart.

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-- The Toner (the.toner@home.com), August 18, 2000

Answers

One more sad story out of billions. What's it got to do with health care?

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), August 19, 2000.

Geeze I don't know...

It's just a story about a woman who can't afford the medical care for her baby so she takes a trip up to Canada and abandons it at a grocery store.

-- The Toner (the.toner@home.com), August 21, 2000.

Duh.

Terrible story.

What IS to become of the thousands/millions, with no healthcare?

Oh, there are 'sliding scale' clinics, bear in mind, at times you Do get what you pay for.

Take it a step further, what of those who have been diagnosed with say Cancer, HIV, etc, who are 'uninsurable' what bout them? Free services, yes and no. Ever try to get the 'free' service?

Personal experience, its not nice.

xoxo,sumer,

ps toner, thanks for the story and please keep at the informative, mind provoking posts.

-- consumer (shh@aol.com), August 21, 2000.

It's just a story about a woman who can't afford the medical care for her baby

Actually, her note simply said that "she could no longer care for the boy." It didn't say that her problems were financial in nature.

-- (hmm@hmm.hmm), August 21, 2000.

I must have heard the financial part mentioned in one of the local TV/radio coverages. A quote from her friend in an update said: "I think she tried to get him into Canada where he would be better off and get the medical care he needs."

I was impressed that they were able to track her down. It's probably a 14 hour drive to Calgary from Port Angeles, going across the border and through one province to get there.

-- The Toner (the.toner@home.com), August 21, 2000.

Anyone ever had experience with socialized medicine?

I got sick while overseas once, and it was a nightmare. I didn't understand the language well enough to be certain if I'd gotten shoddy care because the system sucked or because I wasn't a citizen.

-- Tarzan the Ape Man (tarzan@swingingthroughthejunglewithouta.net), August 22, 2000.