Rescue The Fosters: REMEMBERING AJ w/ Special Guest - Sherry Santos

AJ was born May 7, 2000. He was the 4th of 5 kids. He was 2 mos preemie and quite jaundiced, but he came through all of that well.
When he was 3, we started noticing weird quirks. It looked like OCD at first... lining up his little cars from little to big, having to step on a certain spot before he came in the house but nothing too alarming.
When he was 4 and in headstart, the director noticed him too. He told us that his best guess would be ADHD or autism. I remember telling him it couldn't be autism because AJ could talk.... little did I know. During the summer, AJ started developing weird behaviors associated with toileting (he'd been potty trained since the age of 2 1/2) I called the director up and told him what was going on and he said... it's autism and that they sometimes fixated on those areas. He also suggested that we get him tested.
At the age of 5, his diagnosis came back. He had ADHD and autism (PDD-NOS). Pervasive developmental disability - not otherwise specified. At this point in his life, a person could tell. He looped movies. His speech pattern also mimicked looping, starting a sentence, getting distracted, then restarting the sentence. He also had a high propensity of trying to escape the house. Nothing too unmanageable.
Between the ages of 7-12, he acted like most other boys at home. At school was a different issue. He was restless and unmanageable. They called a lot. At the age of 10, he started having seizures requiring him to be put on depakote. At that time I spoke with his neurologist about the school calls and after much thought agreed for him to try focalin for the ADHD. It was a medicine that wouldn't accumulate like Adderall and ridalin and I could still manage him at home, so he only took it on weekdays for school.
Around the age of 12, we started seeing more behaviors from him. His frustration level would get to a point of hours long meltdowns. He was more aggressive verbally and emotionally, so they increased his focalin and added resperdone. Eventually guanfenocin was added as well. This stayed like this until he was 16.
Between his 15th and 16th year, he had grown 6 inches. His meds hadn't been adjusted since he was 12. His behavior was erratic. He'd have meltdowns and scream, "why did God make me like this?" He hated it. He was also a popular target for kids in and out of school. He'd often get in trouble for HIS reaction to kids' bullying. He was impressionable and a follower and kids would talk him into doing things that he wouldn't have normally done, just so he could have a friend.
At 16, his psychiatrist ordered him into the state hospital for adolescents. He got his meds adjusted at that time. While there, we received word from his insurance that he was FINALLY approved for PRTF. He stayed in the PRTF for over a month. Upon his release they mandated that we receive respite care for AJ. His case manager told them it would happen and it never did.
At 17, AJ started spiralling again. His therapist and another agency were recommending out of home placement for his own safety. We called the only place available in our city and were told that to have him placed there, he would need to be a ward of the state, a foster child or we would need a DCF referral. We called DCF and did intake over the phone. We listed his diagnoses and MEDS. Enter St. Francis ministries (formerly St Francis community solutions).
They started coming out weekly. They implied they were looking for somewhere more suitable for AJ. Every week they'd come out and just shoot the breeze with AJ. When school started back up, in his 2nd week of his senior year, on Wed the 5th of September, he came home acting out of character. I actually thought he might be drunk. He didn't smell of alcohol. On Thursday the 8th, he had his therapy appointment and St Francis came out right after that. His therapist and I agreed that I would drug test him when we got home and I would report negative findings to her and to St Francis. When we got home, I tested him, he tested positive for oxycontin. I broke down crying and yelling and asked him where he got it. He asked me what it was. He didn't even know what he took. St Francis came in the middle of all of this and I BEGGED THEM to please take him before something bad happened. On their way out the door they stated, "he just told us he wouldn't do it again". They left.
The next morning I went to wake AJ up for school and he never woke up again.

We obtained my son's records 6-7 most after he died and at that time St Francis was still billing on us. They billed for attending his memorial service and they weren't there AND they wrote down the wrong time. They've sat in front of our house to the point we had to get a cease and desist order on them. There's so much fraud, deceit, and misrepresentation in his records, it's alarming.
We're now, for 2 years, testifying in front of the joint committee on child welfare and oversight. There's NO ACCOUNTABILITY anywhere.