(Yates isnt mentioned in the documentary. This short shred my heart into a million pieces. MCLEAN, Va. - A judge says a 96-year-old woman whose late-life marriage to a 95-year-old beau made national news should be returned to her longtime northern Virginia home after the musician Cher promised to pay to fix it up. Niesen, in a phone interview, said she is still gathering facts and has an upcoming appointment to meet Hill and Harrison. On my first viewing, the events depicted in the 29-minute film were unsettling. I reached out to Ediths family members including several who werent included in the documentary. Here it is: In 2011, Edith was diagnosed with moderate dementia, leaving her daughters Ernestine Yates, Patricia Barber and Rebecca Wright to chart her future. There was no abuse. We have a group specifically to connect you so we can bring about change. It devastated my heart! The recent marriage of two nonagenarians might seem romantic . She should at least resign. The interracial aspect of the marriage also was unique because the two longtime Virginians would not have been allowed to marry if they had met in their 20s, 30s or 40s under state law at the time. Cary Cuccinelli, Barber's attorney, said at a hearing last week that Hill has been declared legally incapacitated for many years and that Wright's decision to facilitate the marriage without court permission was "improper.". Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a nonprofit news service committed to in-depth coverage of health care policy and politics. He lived for her, wifes daughter says, calling theirs love story of the century, Heartbroken Eddie Harrison caught influenza and died at a hospital Tuesday. She would throw you under the bus if "under her eyes" got her ahead. . Caldwells bottom line conclusion: I recommend Mrs. Hill move to an assisted living community.. (Yates isnt mentioned in the documentary. In an interview, Niesen said she had no reason to contest Edith and Eddies marriage because it wasnt hurting anybody and it was making them happy.. She knew we collectively disliked her. We appreciate all forms of engagement from our readers and listeners, and welcome your support. Wright is Hills daughter. There are allegations from one of Ediths daughters about money issues and possession of the family home, as well as insinuations of racism (Edith is black, Eddie is white). document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. We have lots of information about Jessica: religious views are listed as unknown, ethnicity is Native American, and political affiliation is unknown. Niesen wasnt sure where Edith and Eddie were living; when she asked Wright for that information, she was reportedly told they were moving between two Virginia houses on an unpredictable schedule. The only thing I was told was that Dad had over dosed his insulin. In an interview, Niesen said she had no reason to contest Edith and Eddies marriage because it wasnt hurting anybody and it was making them happy., But she had other concerns. End of story for some viewers, maybe. "This whole thing is a travesty, what happens to old people," she said. Sabrinas Parents Love Her. Hill is black and Harrison was white. I do believe all three sisters loved their mother but they each had their own idea of how to handle things, said Joshua Bushman, who became Ediths guardian ad litem in 2011 at the request of the City of Alexandria, Va. According to the care managers report, Barber thought her mother would be best off living with her in Palm Coast, Fla., while Wright wanted her mom to move back into her Alexandria townhome. I state these facts because watching the love that Edith + Eddie shared, in my humble opinion, was a genuine gift at their age. Edith + Eddie, a short documentary vying for an Academy Award on Sunday, is a gripping look at a couple in their 90s caught up in an intense family conflict over caring for an aging parent. I found out after, after he was gone. Heres what we ask: You must credit us as the original publisher, with a hyperlink to our khn.org site. Learn how your comment data is processed. There was a woman in my Fathers life who (in my opinion) took advantage of him. Cher Promises To Help 96-Year-Old Woman With Dementia Return Home. Niesen wasnt sure where Edith and Eddie were living; when she asked Wright for that information she was reportedly told they were moving between two Virginia houses on an unpredictable schedule. Niesen and Barber then went to Ediths townhome and were met by a camera crew waiting to film the ensuing drama as Edith and Eddie lay next to each other in bed, overcome by helplessness and dread a heartbreaking scene shown in the film. On my first viewing, the events depicted in the 29-minute film were unsettling. said Hill's daughter, Rebecca Wright, of Annandale, in a phone interview Tuesday. Theyre trying to say it was some abuse or something, said Hubbard, Ediths brother. Clearly she has no compassion and should not be a guardian!! Cher's involvement in Edith Hill's story has extended over several months. I think so. On one end I thought that I was watching a beautiful love story, then it turned into a dark hell. It was meant to be temporary, my grandmothers separation from Eddie, until they were able to place them somewhere together, said Lois Mosby, another granddaughter. And that gift was not honored in this case by one daughter nor the guardian the court assigned to Edith. Once they do the repairs and she comes back home, it's going to be bittersweet because she only wanted to be with him.. Could her distress have been alleviated, if she had received reassurance rather than being torn between conflicting factions? Meanwhile, Niesen said she was getting calls from family members who worried that Edith was rapidly losing weight and not receiving necessary medical attention. The film states that Edith and Eddie never spoke again. I also contacted Ediths independent guardian and several lawyers involved with this case and reviewed Virginia court records, including a series of orders involving Edith between 2011 and 2015. Yates considered moving her mother to an assisted living facility, according to the geriatric care managers report, leading to more family division. The family members I spoke with dont think that was the case. A total disgrace to the legal profession and to humanity as a whole." Harrison stayed in Virginia. Feeling. Her goal, she said in an interview, was to remove Edith from an unsafe environment, not to separate her from Eddie, whom shed invited to join Edith in Florida. Meet Hemp-Derived Delta-9 THC. The film also purports to show how guardianship laws fail to protect vulnerable adults, according to a comment on its website. Do you regularly tell lies? This whole thing is a travesty, what happens to old people, she said. hide caption. It ends months later with the couple being separated by Edith's court-appointed legal guardian, with police on the . Throughout the ten weeks of filming, our focus was solely on Edith and Eddie and their relationship. He lived for her, and she lived for him. Although I feel Ms. Wright deeply loves her mother she does not have the nursing skills to be the full-time caregiver for her mother and in addition caring for Mr. Harrison, she wrote. This film is distorted and hurtful, said Davis, one of Ediths granddaughters. Ediths transfer was scheduled for Dec. 6 but Wright failed to deliver her mother to a location agreed upon in advance, according to Niesen. This woman is still a practicing attorney. This film is distorted and hurtful, said Michelle Davis, one of Ediths granddaughters. "He actually gave his life to this effort," Wright said of Harrison and his battle to have his union with Hill recognized and to live with his wife. If a story is labeled All Rights Reserved, we cannot grant permission to republish that item. Wright was not acting in the best interest of Ms. Hill at that point, because she was doing what she wanted to do and not working with her other co-guardian.. Thats the other story of Edith+Eddie. It was beautiful to see Edith and Eddie together after living through almost 100 years of history in Virginia. One month later, Wright suggested her mother visit Virginia over Easter to attend church and visit with family and friends, and Barber agreed to that plan. She never went to an institution. When I received the call that we needed to prepare ourselves, that we needed to make decisions about end of life care for Dad, I never thought once about making sure everyone was there in the room with the doctors to offer their input. I cannot express enough in my own words how much this review hit home for me. I do believe all three sisters loved their mother but they each had their own idea of how to handle things, said Joshua Bushman, who became Ediths guardian ad litem in 2011 at the request of the City of Alexandria, Va. Thats the other story of Edith+Eddie. (Eddie, who had never flown on an airplane before, declined repeated invitations, according to Barber and Niesen.). In this emotionally moving documentary, Edith and Eddie, Edith Hill and Eddie Harrison get married in Virginia at ages 96 and 95. She also offered to help pay medical expenses. Did Edith fully understand what was happening at that point? Who had Ediths bests interests at heart? In a written report filed with the court, she noted with concern that Wright had taken Edith off medications for dementia, hypertension, constipation and osteoporosis. After that, it was hard keeping track of where my mother was, said Barber. On one occasion she called members of our family to tell them that Daddy was at her house, had taken too much insulin and someone needed to come get him because she had to go show a house (she was a realtor). Did Edith fully understand what was happening at that point? Sometimes they think they are. The custody case over Hill remains ongoing, despite the judge's order that Hill be returned to Alexandria. Did Edith fully understand what was happening at that point? Jessica Niesen, your actions in this case were cruel, racist, and amoral. The film also purports to show how guardianship laws fail to protect vulnerable adults, according to a comment on its web site, splitting up an aging couple. A 95-year-old newlywed Virginia man has died just weeks after his 96-year-old wife was taken to Florida by family members. Unfortunately, Edith is forced to leave behind her home and Eddie, who dies shortly after her departure. Niesen now has the task of investigating the marriage and protecting Hill's interests. A Tale of Love, Family Conflict And Battles Over Care For An Aging Mother. Wright the only of Ediths daughters who appears in the film had wanted to become her mothers guardian. man left with huge medical bills after insurer denies coverage following stroke in Arizona, Should I delete TikTok? This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. There was no abuse involved none at all.. Thank you. I will go back on the 21st and inevitably make changes. I suppose she was making a statement. Later that month, Harrison died. But they disagreed among themselves. McLEAN, Va. (AP) A judge says a 96-year-old woman whose late-life marriage to a 95-year-old beau made national news should be returned to her longtime northern Virginia home after the musician Cher promised to pay to fix it up. She described how she was moved to see footage of Edith and Eddie dancing and in love, and then later moved to sadness and anger when she saw footage shot for a documentary in December showing the day that Edith was removed from the home she shared with Eddie to be relocated to Florida. Reopened wounds from my fiancees passing because I also went through a very similar experience with his family and lets just say I was accepted and loved for over a decade and then as his terminal illness worsened, I turned into the mortal enemy. Your email address will not be published. McLEAN, Va. (AP) A judge says a 96-year-old woman whose late-life marriage to a 95-year-old beau made national news should be returned to her longtime northern Virginia home after the musician Cher promised to pay to fix it up. It was nominated. You can support KHN by making a contribution to KFF, a non-profit charitable organization that is not associated with Kaiser Permanente. Cher at the AFI Night at the Movies at the ArcLight in Los Angeles on April 24, 2013. But family disputes about how to care for frail, vulnerable elderly parents are my territory, inevitably complicated and full of unresolved emotional issues. As a mandated reporter, was the alleged abuse investigated? Or does the law of the land lean toward injustice? Upon arriving in Florida, Edith weighed 98 pounds, down from 110 pounds in October a dangerous weight loss for someone so old and frail. Edith moved from an Alexandria, Va. townhome that shed owned for decades, to Yates home in Baltimore. Wake up to the day's most important news. If possible, please include the original author(s) and Kaiser Health News in the byline. From that event he had hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain). But family disputes about how to care for frail, vulnerable elderly parents are my territory, inevitably complicated and full of unresolved emotional issues. I think this is an important story, Cher said. Niesen now has the task of investigating . But that, a judge ruled in February 2014, was impossible unless the home was renovated since the only bathroom was up a steep flight of stairs a significant fall risk for the increasingly frail older woman. Was the marriage legal? Her intent was to focus on their love story. I wrote this on the night of the 20th. He bought her dinners, took her places, paid the tabs (I managed his money, I saw the checks and debit card transactions). Edith was gaining weight, getting physical therapy, taking all her medications and was well adjusted, according to her court report. I have never wanted to reach through a screen to strangle a person as much as I did Jessica Niesen. While there are numerous issues to be sorted out, including questions. He had open heart surgery, five hours from his loved ones because the VA is flawed and lacks communication that would be beneficial to the families of loved ones requiring services. Shockingly, Eddie died only a few weeks later. Just watching this documentary broke my heart all over again. She described how she was moved to see footage of Edith and Eddie dancing and in love, and then later moved to sadness and anger when she saw footage shot for a documentary in December showing the day that Edith was removed from the home she shared with Eddie to be relocated to Florida. Hill's property there is worth about $475,000. I have only one line: It rebroke me. 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