Very disturbing

[mjmom69]

I thought this was something some of you might want to check out. It is unbelievable that this could happen to someone. A NC judge has given this woman's ex husband custody of their children just because she has breast cancer. He lives 700 miles away! She is taking treatments and isn't bedridden or hospitalized. You can sign the petition and maybe help stop this, which could set a frightening precedent.
Here is the website: http://www.change.org/petitions/do-not-allow-nc-judge-to-take-alaina-giordanos-children-just-because-she-has-cancer?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&alert_id=dlTryXcAOQ_HTwQHARzfz

[seattlemom2plus]

Ugh yes this story was certainly heart wrenching indeed.  Saw this the other day.

[ChristineMP]

Yeah, me too :( I will keep these children in my prayers.

[mjmom69]

I know first hand how awful they can be. But hopefully, they are handling it right in front of the kids and not bringing them into the fight and letting them know everything that is going on. Somehow, I doubt they are.

[ChristineMP]

Custody battles are pretty much always messed up all the way around :( The victims are the children caught in the middle.

I feel for the children in this case and hope the parents can learn to work together for the best interests of the children. I don't think the mother going on the offensive and distorting the facts really helps (she has been on the Today Show and giving interviews to reporters...not to mention the online petition). Most articles about the case say NOTHING about the other issues in the case and focus only on her story that the judge gave her ex custody because she has cancer.

[mjmom69]

Very interesting. I'm glad you looked it up. I had read something else somewhere, that she was accusing him of being abusive. It sounds like a really messed up deal all the way around!

[ChristineMP]

The petition doesn't tell the whole story. I did a Google search and found some news stories about the case. The judge's ruling was 27 pages and the cancer was not the only concern the judge had (although that is what is getting the attention). The mother admits to leaving her kids with their grandparents for days to go out of state with another man to have an affair. She and her ex have spent time in jail for an altercation. The mother is unemployed and has an insecure living situation while the father moved in order to get a job and a house for his kids.

This is a quote from an ABC news story:
"She confesses to having an adulterous relationship, spending days out of state with a married man while her children were with their grandparents.

On another occasion, Giordano did not make suitable arrangements for her children on a day a doctor told her she was going to be admitted to the hospital.

The order shows she took her children to Duke Hospital.

To avoid calling child protective services, the doctor took the children home with her. The doctor called it a crisis and Giordano called it a great opportunity for the children to get to know the person treating their mother.

Finally, when the children were visiting their father, Giordano failed to send her son's epinephrine pen. The judge believes that shows she has difficulty separating her anger from the well-being of her children."

To me it sounds as though, cancer or not, this mother has some issues and perhaps the father is currently the more stable parent. I used to work in family law (as a child support enforcement officer in California). The system is SO stacked against the father..it takes A LOT for a mother to lose custody (and the judge has ruled that if she moves to where the father is living, she can have 50% custody...she probably won't because it is far from her medical care and support system)..

I'm just saying the judge DID NOT make this ruling because the mom has cancer. While her health is a factor...there is a lot more going on...I feel for her children, who are ALWAYS the losers in any custody battle.