Miami's had two mothers famous for the decades of devotion to a daughter: Susan Billig, who spent 30 years actively searching for her abducted daughter Amy, and Kaye O'Bara. They're both gone now.
She never broke her promise.Kaye O'Bara, who pledged never to leave her then-teenage daughter's side as the girl slipped into a diabetic coma 38 years ago, died at her Miami Gardens home this week -- in the same room she shared with her child, Edwarda, since 1970.
O'Bara, 80, died in her sleep. She had suffered for years from a cardiac illness that dated back to a heart attack in the early 1980s, said her niece, Pamela Burdgick.
''We thought she'd outlive us all. The woman was so strong,'' Burdgick said.
The story of O'Bara's steadfast devotion to her child, and her belief that Edwarda's life was not a burden but a blessing, inspired countless visitors who passed by the small one-story O'Bara home over the decades.
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Edwarda, a diabetic, had come down with the flu shortly before Christmas 1969. Her condition worsened over the next few days, and her parents -- Kaye and husband Joe -- took her to the hospital.As the frightened girl began to lose consciousness, she turned to her mother and asked: ``Promise you won't leave me, will you, Mommy?''
Kaye O'Bara promised her she wouldn't, and those final words to her daughter became the blueprint for her life: turning her every two hours so her daughter wouldn't develop bedsores; feeding her a mixture of baby food and powdered milk through a tube; administering insulin; playing music; reading books to Edwarda, who was once an avid reader; and keeping a watchful vigil by her bedside in the hope that one day her daughter would come to.
Sue and Kaye's stories are sad, but as I open the newspaper and read yet another of the equally sad stories of some wretched parent's neglect or abuse of a child, my mind often wanders back to these ladies and the hard paths they chose to follow out of love.
Posted by floridacracker at March 10, 2008 09:05 AMThese two stories are so hard to describe. The tragedy that struck the girls, countered by the unwavering devotion of their mothers.
It sounds corny but it’s true: there are few things as powerful and inspirational as the unconditional love of a parent for a child. That such commitment is to be expected doesn't mean we don't need to hear about it every now and then.
(The link for Susan Billig doesn't work, but your post moved me to Google her story. Thanks.)
Hey Cracker. I'm not blogging much these days but I do check in here occasionally to see what you are up to.
This post continues your long-standing practice of praising women who are great moms. I'm with you on that -- my wife and I took in foster kids for a few years -- you see some pretty bad moms.
Anyhow, have you ever seen the sci-fi movie "UltraViolet?" It's about a kick-ass heroine ("Haven't you been paying attention? I kill people. That's what I'm good at.")
in a future dystopian world who becomes obsessed with saving a child's life, motivated by the fact that she didn't get to become a mom, and more importantly just because "he's a child, dammit."
I don't usually read or watch sci-fi, but I found this one interesting because of the heroine's motivation. And it probably didn't hurt that she's really, really hot and wears spandex while she kills about 100 guys.
Posted by: Salt Lick at March 11, 2008 09:11 AMIt's amazing what people will do when they have a sick kid..or one that is missing.
I miss my Princess every day...
Her maternal Grandmother kind of got sucker punched
in our ordeal, Donnah. She had taken a dream job..'house sitting' a bed and breakfast of sorts on Kuaii (it's too early to look up spelling- I can spell arterio-venous malforamtion, though) when my daughter took ill, so the last time she 'saw' her was when she was two.
After she heard the news, she made one emergency trip, then went back to Fantasy Island long enough to quit and deal with a hurricane - and then she came back to Florida to stay, and 'help out'.
I think her absense during the worst part of Jasmyne's illness really freaked her out, because
now even though Jazzy's been on the other side for
over two years..she still visits her grave ceremoniously and places little trinkets and such,
puts batteries in the little lamp that hangs there, and so on.
In reality, it wouldn't have made much difference
if she had stayed..you always think there could have been something else you could have done.