Jail letter helped mother to heal

To the editor:
    The recent letter headlined “Houlton Jail Cruel” made me want to reply. Through the years of my youngest son growing up, my family went through a lot of heartache.
    Our son had ADHD, some learning disabilities and he was bi-polar. As he grew older, he had involvement with the Houlton Jail. We also experienced heartbreak at the system and the way it was run. For example, we were turned away on night because a young girl had gotten there before we did, so we couldn’t visit our boy. They had to quiet my husband down, he was so upset. He was told if he didn’t quiet down, he would got to jail with his son.
    Our son was made fun of a lot, several more serious incidents come to my mind as I read Mr. Taskers’ letter: our son was tied to a chain downstairs and his privates were maced; and our son was very ill another one occasion, and all of his complaints were not believed to be true. When the jail finally realized there had to be something wrong, he was taken to Houlton Regional Hospital. On the surgery table, our son’s appendix ruptured. I thank God I was a praying mother. I could tell of a lot more but will stop at the most serious cases.
    These things all hurt my son deeply and added to his already struggling life. When his dad and I found these things out we were appalled. Thankfully, there were a couple of people at the jail that took the time to sit and talk to Chad and got to know him. We will never forget their kindness.
    Until you walk in another’s footsteps, do you ever know the pain they fear?
    For his family, our son’s journey in this life ended June 9, 2007, for he ended his pain leaving behind a note to let us know he wanted to go home to be with Jesus. Writing this letter is a part of my healing. We all — dad, mom and one brother are grateful he doesn’t suffer anymore.
    John 3:16  reads “For God so loved the world He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
    For the record, my son was raised in the Christian faith and made the choice to forgive all the things done against him. I hope things at Houlton Jail improve greatly. That is my prayer.
Leanna Hersey Burpee
Houlton