Caregiver urges commission to fix systems after near‑catastrophic denials, ICU stay

At the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth meeting, caregiver and parent partnership board member Dina Draper delivered a personal account of systemic gaps that nearly cost her family dearly and urged the commission to support predictable, equitable policy for caregiving families.

Draper described having two adopted children from Oklahoma’s foster system, including a medically complex son born with a congenital heart defect who required three open‑heart surgeries before kindergarten. She said private‑duty nursing services were cut for a time; soon after the cut she said her son suffered life‑threatening complications and was on ECMO life support for a month. Draper also described taking a foster placement of an infant with prenatal drug exposure who later required adoption and behavioral health supports. Draper said the cumulative stress of navigating denials, paperwork and gaps in services led to severe caregiver burnout and a personal stroke in her early 40s.

"Caregivers should not have to depend on privilege, persistence, or luck to get the support that they need," Draper said, urging policies that make supports predictable and equitable so families do not rely on privilege to survive.

Commissioners thanked Draper for sharing her story. Her testimony was presented during the meeting’s parent partnership segment and was offered as firsthand evidence of the human cost of system gaps; commissioners noted her remarks in subsequent discussion about program capacity and funding.