When you or a loved one has a disability or is aging, you may need to hire a caregiver. A caregiver can be a family member, personal care attendant, home health aide, nurse, school aide or CNA. No matter what their title, they have an essential and trusted role — to assist with someone’s personal…
I am a domestic violence survivor. You can’t tell by looking at me, and you never could. I didn’t have black eyes or bruises. I never went to the hospital and claimed I fell down the stairs. I am a woman with a disability, and I was abused by my former partner, another woman. Domestic…
Two years ago today, my life changed forever. On the morning of November 28, 2014 I was attacked in my home by a masked intruder, who held me and my caregiver at gunpoint and threw me out of my wheelchair. My caregiver courageously escaped and ran to call the police, causing him to flee and…
Lady Gaga’s powerful Oscars performance of “Til It Happens to You” brought attention to an issue that affects far too many people with disabilities. Along with much of the world, I was brought to tears by Lady Gaga’s powerful performance of “Til It Happens to You” at the Oscars. I was especially moved by the…
On February 2, 2016, Herbert Jon Cruz and Jennifer Lynne Martinez plead guilty to multiple felony charges for the home invasion robbery and death threats they committed against me and my caregiver “C” on Nov. 28, 2014 in San Diego, CA. On March 3, they will be formally sentenced. Herbert Cruz (also known as Herbie…
One year ago, my life changed forever. One day, I was enjoying a simple but peaceful Thanksgiving. The next, I was staring down the barrel of a gun, feeling a stranger pulling me from my wheelchair and leaving me helpless on the floor. I laid there not knowing if I would be shot, and whether…
Her name was Sarena Moore, and her service dog Bullet’s name is now tragically ironic. She was studying business at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, gaining skills to pursue her dream of starting a therapeutic horse riding ranch for children with disabilities. She herself was disabled and used a wheelchair. Sarena died October 1,…
The news is out, and so there is no need to hold back their names anymore. The former caregiver who orchestrated the attack on me is Jennifer Lynn Martinez aka Jennifer Alarcon, and her boyfriend Herbert Jon Cruz is the masked gunman who invaded my home, held me and my caregiver at gunpoint, and threw me out…
I have some good news to share. On May 19, 2015, Jennifer Lynne Martinez, aka Jennifer Alarcon, the former IHSS caregiver who orchestrated the home invasion robbery, and stole my personal information to defraud and threaten me, was arrested. She is charged with three felonies related to identity theft and burglary, and is being held…
Why California’s State home care program should be held liable for crimes committed by its employees The following is my analysis of legal liability surrounding IHSS, and what would be required to find the state of California partially responsible for the home invasion robbery I suffered. I am not an attorney, and nothing in this document…
