The parents of child with a brain tumor are pleading for Gov. Mike DeWine to allow them to be together at their daughter’s bedside at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus.
Seven-year-old Autumn Wehr was admitted to Children’s with a prolonged seizure and was placed on a ventilator for support. The hospital permits only one parent to be with a child each 24-hour period due to orders from DeWine, the family was told by hospital admitting staff.
Autumn is currently in the ICU. Her mother, Carrie Wehr, is with her.
“Meanwhile, her father Bradley is sitting in the parking garage barred from entering the hospital and being by his daughter’s side,” said a post by the family on social media.
Autumn’s parents were advised that the hospital guest restriction policy was implemented as a result of orders from the Governor. They were told that the hospital would need word directly from the Governor’s Administration in order to make an exception.
The family has gone to extraordinary lengths to contact DeWine to have the order lifted, at least temporarily. But their pleas have so far gone unheard. They posted on social media asking the public to send emails and make calls to the governor on their behalf.
“Your policies are stripping Autumn’s father of his rights as a parent and forcing her mother to go through the worst possible trauma all alone without support,” a family member stated in the post.
Please say a prayer for little Autumn Wehr and her family.
Below is the plea for help that Samantha “Sam” Jeffers, a relative of the family, posted Saturday evening on Facebook.
“We are writing to you on behalf of the family of Autumn Wehr.
We are concerned in getting some answers regarding the pediatric hospital guest restrictions at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. 7 year old Autumn has brain cancer and has been in treatment for over 6 years accompanied by numerous other medical conditions. Autumn, with the support of her mother Carrie, is currently in the Nationwide Children’s ICU for a prolonged siezure lasting over 2 hours and has been placed on a ventilator for support.
Meanwhile, her father Bradley is sitting in the parking garage barred from entering the hospital and being by his daughter’s side. The hospital policy currently states that only one parent is allowed at their child’s bedside. We would like to do something to change that.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital advised us that those orders are set by your office. We have also been advised that if Autumn’s mother were to leave and allow her father to visit, she would not be allowed back for with her daughter for 24 hours. The family was informed that if Autumn were to be dying, they would need special permission from your office and/or the hospital CEO to allow both parents to be with her while she passed. Allowing both parents at bedside to support their 7 year old daughter is not an unreasonable request.
These regulations are not only unacceptable, but also preposterous. Autumn and her family have been life-long patients of this hospital and have indicated that they feel it is already at an all-time low patient capacity. In a time in which the country is supposed to be “In this together”, the regulations set forth by your office are separating Autumn and her family. Your policies are stripping Autumn’s father of his rights as a parent and forcing her mother to go through the worst possible trauma all alone without support. Carrie was offered a member from the chapel to be with her as a support, however that not only adds to the traffic in Autumn’s room, but also exposes Carrie and Autumn to a new person that they do not know. Autumn has tested negative for COVID-19 and before hospital admission, Carrie and Autumn were safely quarantined at home with her father.
Therefore we say again, the ruling to exclude one parent from their child in a time of need is unbearable. We plead to you as parents, families and Ohioans to put yourself in Carrie and Bradley’s shoes and imagine how you would feel. We also plead for you to put yourself in Autumn’s shoes, fighting for your life without your father by your side to comfort you through your last moments of life. The Wehr family is unfortunately looking ata long admission with their daughter and we are writing in hopes that you reconsider these policies, not only for Autumn and her family, but for all of the other families impacted by your decisions. So we ask, please abandon these policies and allow both parents to be there for their child to help her fight the greatest battle of her life.”
Prayers..let this family be together. This is the hardest time for a family
Please Governor DeWine have a heart and let the parents be there for the daughter. How would you feel if your young family member was dying and you couldn’t be by her side for the last few moments. Please reconsider
This family is from our hometown. Please allow these parents to be with their daughter so they may have peace and family time.
This is absolutely inhumane. Please let her parents, BOTH of them be by her side.
Prayers for common sense of the politicians to answer this request immediately!
Dr Acton believes in killing babies and not saving babies. It seems this also extends to babies and children that are sick. That little should have all the love around her ,💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏
This ridiculous….Autumn needs both her Mother and Father!
Please allow them both in with their sweet daughter. This has gone too far!
Praying for this sweet family!
Please do not deny this precious child the comfort of knowing her family is my her side.
Show kindness
This is out an out crazy. Let the poor father in with the mother. The sweet angel needs both parents now. And the parents need to be with their child together. If they can both go flippin shopping at Walmart together then for the love of God let them both be with their child. Never in my life have I seen anything like this. Please.
While I understand the strict policy this is one of those circumstances that there needs to be an exception …. while you as Governor have done an exceptional job in trying to protect your State this family should not have to suffer more because of those rules. Please consider this to be changed if nothing else at least for children in critical care to have both parents with them. This does not seem to be an unreasonable request… please consider this as soon as possible to give this family the support and comfort needed.
Don’t tell people they can go get their nails and hair done, get groceries and gas and continue to deprive this family of their time with their daughter.
This is nuts. Please allow this father to be with his daughter and wife. I cannot imagine having to say goodbye to my child at all, much less without my husband by my side. If it were one of you, the people preventing it, we all know exceptions would be made for the “high and mighty.” This is a CHILD. She needs BOTH of her parents. I am praying now, for God to change the hearts of those that can change the rules. My heart goes out to these parents as they lose their baby. They should not be dealing with a single other thing right now.
Both parents should have the same right to be with their sick child, especially a terminally ill child. The Governor should be ashamed for putting forth this policy and it should be revised immediately to allow both mom and dad to be with their hospitalized child.
Mr.Dewine, As you were first in initiating these orders in our country with the true reasons still obscure, can you not lift them? I am sure that the ones who pay your salary and voted you in office would definitely be moved to continue their support if we knew you had the chance, the courage and the heart to be honest with yourself not to mention all the families this order has affected. Thank you and may God have mercy on your soul.
Govenor Dewine you have children and grandchildren how eould you feel if this was your family, have a heart the patents belong with there child.
Please allow this father to be with his wife and ill daughter in ICU together. It would be an unbearable loss and traumatic event for these parents to lose their child and only one parent be allowed to be at this child’s side. An unbearable loss I would not wish on any parent.
Please allow this Mother and Father to be with their child.
This is so ridiculous, I know if they were in Bradley and Carrie’s shoes they would have things a whole lot differently. They(both parents) would be by their child’s side. Autumn NEEDS both of her parents there through this ordeal. No parent should have to go through this by themselves!!! My husband and I are friends of the family. I am a nurse and I work in a nursing home, we changed a policy yesterday for a family. IT CAN AND SHOULD BE DONE WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT!!!!
This is not acceptable ! This baby needs her parents there as she transitions from this life. Please put yourself in this family’s shoes & reconstruct the regulations to allow for situations like this. Nobody deserves to die alone! Most definitely no child – Especially when they have a loving family to stand beside them
This cute little girl needs both of her parents support. Yes her mother is one the strongest moms I have ever known but she needs her husband there to learn on and Autumn needs to know her mother and father are both there supporting and caring for her! Please let Autumn have both her parents together to be there supporting and cheering her on.
This is absolutely terrible and ridiculous… I understand the need for caution at this time, but having both parents by her bedside at this time is needed and shouldn’t be questioned. Please change your rules so she can see both parents supporting her.
These paremts should able to stay by her. It comforts the child and her parent’s.!!!
Please….Please….reconsider this insane regulation that truly makes no sense. Pray someone will look at this situation and see the injustice and do something NOW! Take a couple days off from being on TV and really look at the chaos & heartache being created by hasty decision that you are being made.
Let the parents be together with their daughter..This is a special case.Please governor.
Gov. Dewine, I heard you speak in Paulding County this past Feb. for the 200th anniversary of Paulding County. You stated that you are a family person! How can you say such a thing and keep a parent ( in this case a father) from being with their very ill and possibly dying child? I really don’t want to believe that you are so hard hearted and cruel to do this!!
Maybe if this were yours or Amy Acton’s child things would be different. Please have some compassion. Jesus loves the little children and so should you!! I will NOT be voting for you ever again.
So very wrong…..this has to stop. People of any age need comfort in times like this.
How utterly heartless and dispiseable this is How in Hell would you feel if this was your child dieing. May you get yours back in full
Palliative care is more than the physical…it includes emotional care…This little girl NEEDS her parents and her parents need to be there for their emotional well being. Make that happen please!
This little girl needs her mother AND HER FATHER!!!
GOVERNOR DEWINE , PLEASE MAKE AN EXCEPTION TO YOUR ORDERS FOR THIS FAMILY. THIS IS A TRAGEDY.
Terrible! Sha.e on him!! Would he allow thus for his Granddaughters???
Please let Autumns mom and dad to be with her as long as they want to be. PLEASE
Allow both Mom and Dad together to be with her as long as they want to be. Please.
This is unacceptable! The governor should not be making blanket decisions about situations that should instead involve the doctors, hospital, family, and patient for the good of the patient. I have heard of too many similar stories. One was where a daughter was denied being with her dying mother. After the mother’s passing she was allowed in to view the body. No holding her mother’s hand, no words of comfort. How is this helpful?
No wonder the country is so divided and no one trusts the people in charge. Please have mercy on this family.
This is terrible for this poor family and what they are going through. There has to be exceptions and this is one very important one. This poor father sitting outside not being allowed to be with his daughter and wife. The poor child that may not see her father before she passes away.