Monday, August 01, 2005

Remembering Kaitlyn

For the past few years I've seen purple ribbons tied on trees & have wondered what they were for. Now I know. August is Purple Ribbon Month. The ribbons are purple because it's February's birthstone, the month Kaitlyn Marie Russell was born.Purple Ribbon Month got it's beginning by an extremely tragic & preventable event.

One August morning, her babysitter drove with Kaitlyn to visit a friend. After visiting for hours, the sitter realized she'd left the baby in the car. The temperature in Riverside County, California reached 100 on that day. Literally trapped in her carseat, the baby's body temperature reached 107 degrees. Precious 6 month old Kaitlyn died needlessly on August 15, 2000.

It's very sobering to see the family's van around town with her adorable picture on the back & the 4rkidssake.org stickers. The intent of 4 R Kids Sake is to raise public awareness about the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles. It only takes minutes for the heat inside a car to reach 120. When our body's heat reaches 104, heat stroke can occur. At 107 degrees cells begin to die, organs shut down & death occurs. Every single one of these deaths is preventable.

In 2002 Kaitlyn's Law went into effect. The law makes it illegal to leave a child unattended in a vehicle. A misdemeanor conviction brings a $100 fine & so far, 312 people have been convicted. In 2003, 42 children died from hyperthermia, due to being left in vehicles. The number dropped to 35 in 2004. So far this year, there have been 17 deaths.

What can and has happened to children
left in and around vehicles:
Death or injury from:

Back-overs
Car fires
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Car theft with child inside
Hyperthermia (heat stroke)
Hypothermia (cold)
Injuries caused by power windows and sunroofs
Kidnapping
Vehicle in Motion

Injuries and deaths have also occurred to children who have become trapped inside of a car or trunk after gaining access to an unlocked vehicle or finding the car keys. Always keep car doors locked, even when the car is inside the garage, and place the keys in a location where children cannot reach them.
(the above was taken directly from 4Rkidssake.org website)

Please don't leave any child unattended in your vehicle even for a few minutes. If you see an unattended child, please call the authorities immediately; you may be saving a life.

For more information, to donate or volunteer, please visit: www.4rkidssake.org/

Technorati tags: www.4rkidssake.org,
kaitlyn/'s law,hyperthermia,

posted by jane at 10:58 PM