What can I say? My son was not born handicapped. he became handicapped after being illegally taken away from his only parent, me, by the Department of Youth and Social Services in Nashua, New Hampshire in February 1996. Michael Catanzano, age 10 was taken from me by the DCYF in Nashua, New Hampshire on a BOGUS neglect charge. The "Authorities" took my son directly from school, saying that I had been admitted into the Mental Hospital and that he needed to go with them. My son was not allowed to go home first to get any of his personal things -- if he had been allowed to go home first, I would have intervened because I was home and NOT in the Mental Hospital!

This story is very personal and sometimes too "close to home" to talk about without becoming so emotional that I cannot go to work (where I work with the public).

I have my son back, now, but only because my son's father, Robert Catanzano of Andover, Massachusetts choose his second wife, Lee,  over "our" son when they were having problems, so he returned custody back to me.

While away from my care my son experienced alot of stress and was traumatized ... he was told lies and up rooted from a social setting he had been in for many years.

It started this way; shortly after the beginning of THE SCHOOL year (1995)  I NOTICED that my son had STARTED TO NOT LIKE GOING TO SCHOOL. None of the teachers in the Nashua New Hampshire school where my son was attending wanted to listen seriously because of their busy schedules and upcoming holidays. However, in January - when there was no special holiday to escape into - the teachers' at my son's school realized that my son had a problem. My son had a problem? Of course, the problem could not possibly be with the school! So, suddenly ALL EYES WERE ON THE CHILD'S PARENT! I had graduated from Rivier College in May 1995 with a BFA in Graphic Design. My son was very proud of his mom and stood beside me and my portfolio (which I have since had to abandon to save our lives). By February 1996 I was still unemployed, but had TONS OF TIME TO DEVOTE TO MY SON AND HIS (faulty) EDUCATION. I still remember having to re-write a math problem for him because he could not understand it --- and I am not a math expert!

My point is this, in your cause to save children from abuse tread very careful with who you trust to intervene. During several therapy sessions I was told by women who used to work for DCYF that "the Department is corrupt". 

 My son, Michael has been unemployed since last fall and is currently waiting for a Social Security Disability determination. This will be difficult to determine because of missing documents from his previous councilor, Lee Bird -- who had his patient records taken when he was found guilty of Medicaid fraud. With no current phychology report I suggested to my son, Michael that he request a copy of the original documents from the DCFY from when he was taken. He has requested, in writing, to obtain copies of the original records from 1996, since those records concern him he has a right to them. We have not heard from the DCYF in Nashua, N.H. and since hearing that the DCYF in Nashua N.H. are currently under investigation I feel fairly sure that my son is not going to get his original records because, by now, the DCYF realizes that they were in the wrong. So very wrong. Now I live with and care for my 24 year old handicapped "child". Having a Mental Health disability is MUCH WORSE because of the social stigma that is attached to it. While Michael was not in my custody I was treated like a criminal. I had to endure supervised visits with my own son for well over a year! I have met crack addicts who have gone through the required "hoops" -- prescribed, sometimes court ordered "treatment" and then regained custody. But because my "crime" was suffering from PTSD -----  doctors labelled me "Manic Depressive" and fed me Lithium and then a different drug that wore away my short term memory, Depakote  -- , but they misdiagnosed me ------ WHILE attempting to provide a better life for myself and my son by going to college ((( Hey Mr. Obama, listen to my story ... what are you going to do to help this college graduate with no work for her BFA degree and negatively amortized student loan that will never be paid down and is crippling myself, my family and the US budget because it is, after all, an unpaid debt ???!!! ))) ON MY OWN and AFTER MY MOTHER AND NINE YEAR OLD SISTER DIED (( March 22, 1988 was when they died and in Sept. 1988 I was in college AS A SINGLE PARENT }} I got treated like a criminal by the DCYF in Nashua New Hampshire. That judge that signed the court papers that allowed the DCYF to take my son from school --- and RENDER HIM EMOTIONALLY HANDICAPPED FOR LIFE !!!! --- ought to be very ashamed of himself or herself and resign immediately. Then spend the rest of his or her life attempting to make ammends.

I left work today because the manager could not turn off the "piped in" music and the songs were all from the 1980's and caused me to have an emotional breakdown that I could not explain to my boss. So, now my son and I may BOTH be unemployed. At least I still have my Social Security Disability monthly "allowance" to help pay our mortgage. We don't need to eat.