 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yesenia
Fernandez is a thirteen-year-old who lives with her
|
|
family in
Salt Lake City, Utah. When Yesenia
was twelve,
|
|
she sustained
a brain injury as a result of a weak blood
|
|
vessel that
ruptured in her brain. She is now
unable to
|
|
communicate
verbally and has lost strength on her right
|
|
side.
|
|
|
Before her
injury, Yesenia spoke both Spanish and English.
|
After her
injury, she was left unable to communicate with
|
|
her parents
and family in Spanish as well as her English-
|
|
speaking
friends. Her parents turned to Utah’s Medicaid
|
|
program for
assistance. They applied to get her
an
|
|
augmentative
communication device that could speak for
|
|
her. After waiting nearly six months, their
request was
|
|
denied because
of a mix-up in the system…
|
|
