NORTHWEST PRESS Your Community Press newspaper serving Colerain Township, Green Township, Sharonville, Springdale, Wyoming and other Northwest Cincinnati neighborhoods
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2018 ❚ BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS ❚ PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
Warmbier family seeks $1B from North Korea Max Londberg Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
Bryce Foster sits with her 3-year-old daughter, Kaysen Blackshear, at their home in Finneytown on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018. Kaysen has a gene disorder that has led to seizures and global development delay. ALBERT CESARE / THE ENQUIRER
Single mom seeks car for daughter’s medical needs Max Londberg Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
FINNEYTOWN – The Enquirer and United Way of Greater Cincinnati have joined forces for the 32nd year to promote the Wish List giving season, assisting families in need. Today, we share the story of Bryce Foster and her daughter. Who is in need? Kaysen Blackshear, 3, was diagnosed earlier this year with a gene disorder that has led to seizures and developmental delays. She and her mother, Foster, 23, must often make the journey from their Finneytown home to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center for Kaysen’s appointments. After her daughter’s diagnosis, Foster left her retail job to care for Kaysen. That’s limited her income and encouraged her to seek help this holiday season with purchasing a vehicle. “I want to do it myself, but it’s really hard for me to ask for help,” Foster said at the hospital after a recent visit with the specialists there. “Just the fact that I don’t always get it.” What life challenges are they overcoming? Sometimes mother and daughter wait hours for a ride provided by Medicare to travel to the hospital. The delays lead to canceled medical appointments and undue stress for the single mother. If she doesn’t feel up to waiting for a ride, Foster takes two buses to get to the hospital, collapsing Kaysen’s stroller at each stop and carrying it and her daughter to a seat. It’s not a carefree feat and takes a lot of time. Kaysen recently began preschool, and a car would also help Foster transport her to sites for specialized education.
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The parents of Otto Warmbier, who died last year after North Korea imprisoned him, are seeking more than $1 billion in damages against the country, according to federal court records. Fred and Cindy Warmbier of Wyoming, Ohio, requested $1.05 billion in punitive damages and about $46 million for the family's suffering in a motion filed in October in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The motion is part of a civil lawsuit brought in April against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, alleging the "rogue regime" took Otto Warmbier hostage "for its own wrongful ends and brutally tortured and murdered him." Otto Warmbier, 22 years old when he died, spent a year and a half imprisoned after North Korea accused him of committing a "hostile act" that threatened the "single-minded unity" of the country's citizens. North Korean officials alleged he acted at the behest of a church in Ohio he didn't attend as well as the CIA, the motion states. In February 2016 in Pyongyang, North Korea, he read from a prepared statement before state media, declaring he committed the "severe crime" of stealing a propaganda poster from a hotel. See WARMBIER, Page 2A
Bryce Foster's life changed earlier this year when her 3-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a gene disorder. The single mother is seeking a vehicle through United Way and The Enquirer's Wish List program to travel to frequent medical appointments at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. MAX LONDBERG
Otto Warmbier is escorted at the Supreme Court in Pyongyang, North Korea. The 22-year-old died last year after allegedly being tortured while imprisoned in the country, and his parents seek more than $1 billion in damages against North Korea. JON CHOL JIN, AP
And in emergencies, when a “toxic seizure” causes Kaysen’s arms and legs to flail and vomiting, Foster wishes she had a vehicle to get to an emergency department rather than calling for an ambulance. “Even when calling 911, we have to find a way back home,” Foster said. Their wish list A vehicle. Foster has been practicing driving recently with friends after a few years of not doing it. “It would make my life so much easier,” she said of having a car. “We’d be so worry-free.” Getting to appointments, Kaysen’s school, the grocery store – so many tasks
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would be accomplished faster with wheels of her own. The estimated cost of Foster’s wish is $3,000. Worth nothing Kaysen loves to gnaw on just about anything: the safety belt on her car seat, a stray backpack strap, the pouch containing her puréed snack. “She’s always active,” Foster said. “She’s always got to be moving, touching, just curious as I-don’t-knowwhat.” How to help Donations can be made online at www.uwgc.org/wishlist. You can also mail donations to: The Wish List, P.O. Box 6207, Cincinnati, OH 45206.
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