Parents fighting neglect charges
GREENCASTLE -- For the past two years, 11-year-old Corbin Farley has been struggling with a disease about which very little is known.
Corbin's parents, Larry and Gloria, said their son was diagnosed with sinus histiocytosis -- a condition of which there have been less than 1,000 reported cases.
Sinus histiocytosis, also known as sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy or Destombes-Rosai-Dorfman disease, is characterized as a rare, benign disorder that "commonly presents as massive, painless, bilateral lymph node enlargement in the neck with fevers," according to information at thedoctorsdoctor.com "Most cases occur in the first or second decade of life."
Rarely, sites other than the lymph nodes can be involved including the central nervous system, eyes, upper respiratory tract, skin, and head and neck region.
Although the disease is not cancer, it is sometimes treated with chemotherapy or radiation. Two years ago, Corbin had a growth removed from his neck, only to have it reappear six months later.
Larry and Gloria said the disease has now spread to their son's groin area, throat and shoulder areas. They say Corbin has frequent, high fevers, and that he just plain doesn't feel well much of the time.
Gloria said Corbin has also suffered internal bleeding and has a slightly enlarged spleen because of his condition.
Because of his illness, Larry and Gloria said, Corbin missed 32 days of school last year. Although some of his grades suffered a bit, he passed the fourth grade at Cloverdale Elementary School and will continue on to fifth grade in August.
Corbin seems to have come through the last rough year unscathed, but because of Corbin's absences from school last year, Larry and Gloria have been charged with Class D felony neglect of a dependent.
They had no idea any kind of criminal ramifications were any kind of possibility until they retrieved their mail one day last December.
"I received a card in the mailbox saying I had to pick up a letter at the post office," Gloria said.
That letter was from the Putnam County Juvenile Probation Department, Gloria said.
Gloria said she and Larry took paperwork from Corbin's oncologist, infectious disease specialist, gastroentrologist and family doctor into the probation department.
They thought the matter was taken care of -- then formal charges against the couple were filed in March.
Putnam County Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter said he has not seen any official paperwork from any healthcare providers.
"We have seen no medical records," he said. "All we've seen is information printed out from the Internet."
The Farleys hired an attorney, but have had problems with him showing up at scheduled court dates. The case is somewhat stalled at the moment as the Farleys sort that out, but a final pretrial conference has been set for Sept. 30. If the case proceeds to trial, it will begin on Oct. 20.
Gloria said she realized Corbin was missing an exorbitant amount of school, but that she couldn't make him go when he felt so poorly.
"When he didn't go to school, I would still read and study with him," she said.
Along with the histiocytosis, Corbin also struggles with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and learning disability, Larry said.
Corbin was always a sickly child, Gloria said, suffering from "tons of ear infections and fevers as high as 105 degrees."
"He just stayed sick," she said. "It was non-stop."
The Farleys have four other children, ranging in age from15 to 23. They also have two grandchildren.
None of them have any health problems.
Gloria owns two businesses -- a home improvement company and a custom framing company. Larry is not currently working, as he is dealing with health-related issues.
Corbin was covered by Medicaid, but his benefits were discontinued a couple of months ago, Larry said.
Fortunately, Corbin receives a great deal of his care at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, which provides free services for families who cannot afford it.
"Corbin is still very sick," Larry said. "He gets high fevers, fatigue, headaches, severe weakness and stomachaches. We can tell when he's going to have a spell."
In the final analysis, Gloria said all she cares about is her son's health.
"It's not curable, it's only treatable," she said. "From day to day, I just wake up and pray that he'll wake up and be OK."
Gloria sighed heavily.
"God," she said, "Is definitely my biggest strength right now."
Gloria and Larry agreed that what they want people to know is that, despite the charges pending against them, they do not believe they are negligent as parents.
"We are not neglectful," Gloria said firmly. "That is the most important thing I want to say. I want Corbin to grow up. I want him to go to college. I want him to have more than I did."