Fractured Families

Fractured Families is an organization that was set up by multiple families who have had their families torn apart. From my knowledge and talking to other families with EDS, a lot of families face CPS/DCF throughout their battles with EDS and its associated illnesses. The lucky families have diagnoses, they have knowledgeable and supportive doctors backing them. These lucky ones walk away from these encounters with their families still intact. While there are lucky families there are also families that are not so lucky. Instead of their families remaining intact, their families are torn apart by various allegations, like child abuse, and munchausen/munchausen by proxy. The women who make up the organization, Fractured Families, have all faced the same type of struggles, despite having different stories. It is now their mission to "protect and advocate for families falsely accused of child abuse due to unexplained fractures in their infant." (Fractured Families Organization) They seek to complete this mission by "Educating medical professionals and the public on the differential diagnosis of child abuse, Supporting families currently facing wrongful child abuse accusations, and Advocating for research and policy change that will prevent further harm to innocent families." (Fractured Families Organization)

As a mother with EDS herself, and a child who is not typically old enough to be tested this has been one of the greatest fears of mine. It's reaffirming and comforting to know that there are families who are not letting their struggles destroy them but rather that they are using it to try and make things better for other families. I am beyond inspired by the families that have endured this and stand behind this organization.

I found this organization through one of the 5 women's stories. "#BringHometheZ's" was a story that I followed occasionally, often following it if I stumbled across an update regarding their case on Facebook. I was recently linked to their complete story which I used to learn more and ultimately brought me to learning about Fractured Families. More information about the organization and each of the families' stories can be found on the website. https://www.fractured-families.org/