I'd have used the word plague, but no, scourge works just as nicely.

Children aren't supposed to be on Facebook. That said, the "scourge" isn't Facebook, it's rude, nasty people who think they can dump dignity, courtesy and manners at the door when they log on to Facebook. I have many friends on Facebook and anyone who displays childish behavior such as this gets "unfriended" immediately.

The article doesn't say the 9-year old was on FB, it says the neighbor used FB to taunt her. Big difference. It doesn't say anything about the age of the person doing the taunting either, so for all we know, it could have been an adult doing the taunting on FB.

No. Blame thoughtless, insensitive, immature jerks! Anyone who would taunt a person suffering with HD, regardless of their age, is exactly that! My adult daughter recently died with this disease, so I know what it is. I would not wish HD on my worst enemies.

Hong did you ever read the 1st story when it came out the family didn't set up the facebook page it was the neighbor who set this it up to get back at the grandmother. So before you open your mouth and spread the hate that is in your heart and soul please read the full story oh and yea your right Karma does come back to everyone but the disease this little girl gad was not caused by Karma so please read up on things before you say stupid stuff.

@hongyakku you don't need to have a Facebook to be taunted on it. people are always making pages of people and everyone thinks it them but it not. she did not have one someone created it and secondly a grown adult should have not been doing that. Ur just stupid and uneducated especially about facebook. do some research. THe neighbor could have been doing this even though she had no facebook.

@hongyakku, from the sounds of your pathetic attitude it appears you are the result of bad parenting. What happened, you had sorry parents who failed in their responsibilites to teach you how to treat others with respect? The way you're so passionate about defending facebook. you sound like one of those losers who have no life outside of facebook or the internet.

@hongyakku - the girl did NOT have a facebook page. Read the article and do some research. The moron who was taunting the poor child had a facebook page. She had an argument with the girl's grandmother then the moron posted pictures of the young girl on facebook in the middle of skulls and crossbones. She also posted pictures of the girls mother in the arms of the grim reaper (the girls mother also died from the disease). I live in Michigan near where this occured and it was quite big news up here. This world is full of idiots who have no compassion for their fellow man.......

Good job HONG... focus on the Facebook aspect and not on this poor kid who passed away. Even if you were correct about the Facebook topic (which you are not because you obviously did not read the article as others have pointed out already), it is still rude and ignorant of you to downplay the fact that this child lost her life by ranting on about Facebook rules and regulations. So, while you are on the topic of bad parenting, maybe you should examine your upbringing and after looking in a mirror see how you feel about the way your parents raised you.

Perfectly put Optomyst

What kind of "apparent misunderstanding" could possibly compel an adult to taunt a terminally-ill, 9-year-old girl? God, that's f--king sick.

I read about this a few months ago in the news. The little girl was NOT on facebook. The tuantor was an adult, a mother with her own children that got upset over a party invitation that got lost in the mail, so her sons did not get the invite to this little girl's bday party. The tauntor is NUTS. It wasnt' just on fb either. The woman would stand outside the girl's house and say and do things.

The reason this neighbor did it is because he could. The blessing and curse of being online is anonymity. You can be totally yourself online, but at the same time, you can lose your civility and say things that are downright cruel. You aren't forced to think about your words or what they do.

"Petkov made headlines a few days ago after she admitted to taunting the family of 7-year-old Kathleen Edward, who is dying from Huntington's Disease. She posted disturbing photos of Kathleen of Facebook, and her husband Scott Petkov parked a coffin on the street in front of the girl's home."

From the Detroit news in October

. . . got upset over a party invitation that got lost in the mail . . .

Thanks for the info, sparklystar. I hate to think how they'd react to an actual - vs. perceived - slight. Disgusting.

Hongyaka, it actually helps to read the article before you spew your hatred. But you obvioulsy have a disease also....it's called stupidity. However your case is really bad and incurable.

I think I have it as well for actually reading the post.

If you read any of the newspaper articles on the couple (Petkov's), you will see they are nothing but trouble. Their kids are in trouble at school and her husband might lose his job over this. They are nothing but lowlifes and you should be thankful you don't live close to them.

How can anybody that is sane harbor such bitterness over a late invitation to a BD party? That women is sick and has no business having kids IMO.

Their kids will grow up to be bullies too. I hope they get knocked on their as-es before they get as bad as their mother.

The invitation got lost in the mail? That female who started it because of the invitation being lost must think the USPS works miracles. Things get lost in the many times. But for those two "adults" (and I'm using the term loosley) to react the way they did is certainly something a human would not do. I hope that Karma creeps up behind them and bites them on the wherever.

But RIP little angel. You are with your mother now. A reunion above all others.

Chehwy: My heart and soul go out to you. Losing a loved one, is the most agonizing and difficult task and burden we humans endure. My blessings.. and Peace

Sparklystar.... I sure wish you were lying when you posted the comment about them parking a hurst outside their house. What VILE people!!! That alone would have made me go over and kick some inconsiderate evil butt!!!

Wow, I don't know why I continue to be shocked over HUMAN BEINGS. How terribly sad.

Little Kathleen, I am so sorry people treated you with such disregard. I am sure you are with your mommy and this whole evil family is not even a thought for you. ((just in case you can swing a deal with Jesus or God to smite them.. that would be good to protect any other victim that might need protection!!!))

sparklystar

I read about this a few months ago in the news. The little girl was NOT on facebook. The tuantor was an adult, a mother with her own children that got upset over a party invitation that got lost in the mail, so her sons did not get the invite to this little girl's bday party. The tauntor is NUTS. It wasnt' just on fb either. The woman would stand outside the girl's house and say and do things.

How completely, totally horrific on the part of an adult to do this. And to think she's a mother, too, and she's teaching her kids to behave this way. I hope CPS looks into her "mothering," and takes her kids away. I hope this woman is now the scourge of her neighborhood and can't even go out to buy bread or milk without being treated like Casey Anthony. If her kids haven't been taken from her, let them see how justice treats their mother so they don't grow up to be like her.

Jerry, I did read recently that she has lost custody of her own kids.

RIP sweet little one.

There are a lot of people who have the ability to BEAR children, but not the ability to be a parent.

Then there are people who would make great parents, but not able to have any children.

Something seriously got transposed in the big picture.

Rip little Kathleen angel. You're in your mommie's arms now.

...................................(no sounds except the slow shaking of head).................................Thank goodness so many people responded to offset such cruelty.

@ForPostOnly

The womaen and her husband that was taunting her is 35 years old. She is currnetly on probation for assualt when she tried to run over a neighboor after it was discovered what she had done. Their Name is Petrokov or something like that. You can check out other links to see what she did to this little girl, and it was all because they were mad at the grandma because she ether didn't get a text or didn't see the text message about asking if their kids could come over to a party at her house. They had a couple of bouncy houses at the party and grandma didn't answer fast enough.

a very sad thing to happen to such a young child. there is a woman where i live, has hd, progressively getting worse. this woman has a masters in teaching, is only 59 yrs. old. i see her every day and see what a horrible disease hd is. shame on those people for doing what they did. God will one day punish them, i'm sure.

Folks, I ask all of you to go to Youtube and look up Kathleen Edward. You will then see videos of this monster woman who is reponsible for this sick whatever it is. This is not FB's fault. Facebook was just a way to get her sick opinions out. Watch the one from the local Fox station. I don't like being in the business of making people hate other people but I don't think we can help ourselves on this one. This disease took away this very cute innocent little girl, her mother and I believe her grandfather....and this monster is making fun of it.

Facebook or no Facebook. A lack of compassion and ability to treat people with dignity is the problem. Look around you - our world is becoming more narcissistic and no one wants to take the blame. Behaviors are learned, that is true, but even children taught bad behavior can become generous and compassionate as adults. There is NO EXCUSE for the lack or respect and compassion we are seeing in this era. My advice - stop taking pics of yourself and looking for the right one to show the world who you are and start being the good person you want to be from the inside out. The world will see you as beautiful - no matter what your flaws or disabilites. The current obsession with perfection is ridiculous and hurtful to so many REALLY beautiful people.

Oh, and Hong, I think you have a bit of growing up to do. :) Just sayin....

Forget hong Molly, the world will forget it soon enough... What I want to know is who is spawning these miscreants? A lost birthday party invitation caused all this??? If only that little girl could have another birthday.

Dammit Tyler, I was just getting ready to ask who the neighbor was, then post something suitably insulting about hongyakku and you had to rain on my parade, lol.

Kathleen will make a beautiful Angel.....

Brian, did you have an actual point to make, or were you just doing the atheist version of the Great Commission -- mocking people who have spiritual beliefs every chance you get, in some lameassed attempt to be "better" than other people? Did you learn that such raging egotism is offensive while you were growing up, or are you an example of bad parenting, as well?

RIP, little one.

This bullying tactic was over late mail! How stupid I got the letter telling what plane my new dog would be on and that my cousin had a new baby girl just 2 weeks before the girls 7th birthday. The airport called us about the dog and I'd already been to 4 birthday parties for the girl. My condolences to the family. Brian you are as insensitive as the neighbor with the facebook taunts nobody cares about your rants. Their grief trumps your stupid need to be the center of attention.

brian: Was that really necessary?

@Brian1903576, atheists are a blight on humanity just as much as religion. I'd rather have a hollow faith rather than a hollow skull, a hollow soul, or be the byproduct of obvious bad parenting. There was no logic in that post, just a callous stab at a sweet post. Grow up, you d!kk!

I will take my suspension with my honor intact.

Like Brian, I am an atheist. Unlike Brian, I respect all people, and, do not belittle others for their religious beliefs. My parents were devout Catholics, and, when my sister was killed, it brought them some measure of comfort. Years later, my other sister was killed, and, I wish I could say religion helped me through. My belief system is connected to Mother Earth and the many gifts she gives to us. I believe that if all people respected ME and her diverse inhabitants this would be a better place to live.

Yes Brian" But what a dense comment..

A new born up until the age of five so far as your perspective accumulates more knowledge than in its entire existence..

But then its not about knowledge is it ..?

A Soul you won't be Taken;

Condolences to the family and friends. A childs smile can never be replaced.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

I have nothing but compassion and admiration for the grandmother, she is certainly a courageous person. She lost her daughter, and now her granddaughter; but at least this little girl is now at peace and will never have to deal with horrible examples of humanity again. I read about this, previously and saw the lowlife neighbor in an interview, the scary thing is she has children...I do not understand WHY, the authorities haven't removed them.

Why do so many people set aside civility and compassion in this country? It seems that we are in the midst of an "every man for himself" mentality and to hell with everyone else. Kind of like what you might see on a rapidly sinking ship in the of the middle of the ocean with a limited number of life rafts. Does this analogy have any merit in our country as challenged as it is on so many fronts? Is there anyone or group who are behind making us so angry, so afraid? Is it intentional and if so, what would be their agenda? Hmmm?

My deepest condolences to the family and friends of this little girl and, admiration for those who sought to make her last days a little better.

my, my. what a sad story. to even fathon that an adult could even do such a thing to a precious child is hard enough. but to hear that an adult consciously did it to a child that they knew was suffering from an incurable disease, just makes my thoughts go to a dark place. although i'm one who believes it's always best to turn the other cheek, there are just certain times in life when one cannot and this is definitely one of those. as a mother myself, if someone ever did that to my children I would probably be in jail. my heart goes out to the family for all that they have been through.

Rest in peace little angel, your mom has you now. And I know the both you are very happy now. I just wish the witch who did those mean things stayed near me!!! But God has a plan for her and would hate to be in her shoes when he starts on her..........

No Brian, we do not KNOW what angels look like....but we DO know the name of a troll!

hongyakku is actually Mark Zuckerberg

This is the update on Jennifer Petkov the tauntor.

Facebook Taunting Jennifer Petkov Must Move Out of Trenton Neighborhod

Updated: Wednesday, 02 Feb 2011, 6:12 AM EST
Published : Tuesday, 01 Feb 2011, 6:46 PM EST

myFOXdetroit.com Staff - TRENTON -- Jennifer Petkov pled guilty today of assault and battery, admitting that she tried to run down her neighbor Tana Boling.

Petkov became infamous last fall after she posted mean-spirited photos of Kathleen Edwards, a 7-year-old girl who is dying from Huntington's Disease, on her Facebook page. ( VIEW ORGIINAL VIDEO REPORT )

The photos showed Edwards face as part of a skull and cross bones. She says she did it to "burn Rebecca Rose's ass raw." Rose is Edward's grandmother who lives on the same Trenton street as Boling and Petkov.

She also posted a picture of the girl's mother, who died in 2009 of the same condition, in the arms of the grim reaper.

She later apologized for posting the photos, but public outcry turned into a rally of support for Edwards and a negative backlash against Petkov.

Today she was sentenced to 18 months probation on the following conditions:

• Psychological evaluation with treatment if recommended by court probation workers.
• Substance abuse evaluation with treatment if recommended. Attend anger management counseling.
• Have no contact with next door neighbor Tana Boling, who filed the assault complaint.
• Petkov isn't allowed within a five-block area of her old Trenton Neighborhood Street address.

Any violation of the terms of probation will result in the Petkov serving 93 days in the Wayne County Jail, according to the Wayne County prosecutors office.

And with the loss of another sweet innocent, the world becomes yet a bit darker place. Rest in peace, honey. Sincerest condolences to the family.

Saffron is right...facebook should not have children on it. Mark just wants more advertising money. There should really be a credit card or some @!$%# like that attached. Maybe even an API where the phone number is checked for proper name and information. I know if I ever have kids, facebook is the last place I'm allowing them to reside on the internet.

Ya know, I know bullying just happens all the time everywhere and the reason we hear about it all the time is because news travels around the world in 1.3 seconds. I grew up getting bullied all the time so what did I do? Challenge them all at once to a fight at a private location. It always turned into us shaking hands and moving on.

zafada_dynameic: This child didn't have facebook. The woman that taunted the family about this posted the pictures on her own facebook page and then (from what I understand) also set up facebook pages for the family (without their permission) to further bully and taunt them. Also, the taunting was more than just online - she placed a cardboard coffin the family's yard on the day of the mother's funeral, amongst other things.

zafada: I grew up getting bullied all the time so what did I do? Challenge them all at once to a fight at a private location. It always turned into us shaking hands and moving on.

That's hard to believe you took them all on at once and ended up shaking hands. I suppose you won the fight against all of them too.

R.I.P. Kathleen Edward.

Thankfully, she wasn't on Facebook (as far as I know). The neighbor created a Facebook page to lash out at this family. I'm happy to see that the neighbor isn't mentioned by name; no need to give additional publicity.

Jennifer Petkov. The name should be out there. The woman should not know a moments peace for the rest of her pathetic life.

The pathetic thing is that the woman still does not feel she did anything "that horrible". Obviously she has no conscience........

It doesn't say anything about HER being on Facebook.

Dman1115 I agree with you here. Here we have is an adult taking aim at a 9 year old with an incurable disease. I can imagine very little that could be more heinous and naming this adult should be done.

Jennifer Petkov. The name should be out there. The woman should not know a moments peace for the rest of her pathetic life.

Sounds like she's the one with the disease.

These bullies (This woman and a couple of "people" posting here) are cowards hiding behind being anonymous to hurt others.

What this woman and her husband did over a lost invitation to a child's birthday party is so unbelievably low, nasty and toxic!

My heart goes out to the father/husband and the children especially and OF COURSE to the Grandmother. It's too soon probably to register with grief and all ubt remember to celebrate the days of their lives over mourning the DAY they died. They are out of pain and at peace.

Instances like this is when I'd like to see Anonymous do something actually useful.

I Agree Chris, and also would like the ACLU truly do something for civil liberty: Such as sue and garnish that taunting trash to the point of utter homelessness and or starvation/exposure rather than harass every person who prays at a football game.

Or better yet, let the taunters be guests of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and be on a Chain gang for about 7 to 15 years.

The social network can be a very cruel and unforgiving place, especially to those unfamiliar with the behaviors of such trolls. It's truly sad to learn how often sites like FB are used for such twisted and inhumane actions.

Hong, pay attention!

There you go again Hongkong.... you must be a troll because I refuse to believe that anyone could be so dumb as to continue to make these off topic remarks on a comment page about a little girl who passed away. I hope that the Karma that you are speaking about causes you to get hit by a bus tonight on your way home. And I don't use these comment boards too much so if someone does suppress this message or I get suspended or something for calling you a fool then so be it.

Hong, did you not receive love as a child. Were you abandoned and raised by animals, because dude you are acting like one.

Maybe Hong is the neighbor.

how well are you hong?

Please do not insult animals that way. I've seen half wolf mixes raising kittens whose mother died. More natural humanity in the animal kingdom than on the internet.

Stands about 5' 4", weighs about 290 to 325. Nuff said.

\

Actually, there are pictures of her easily found on Google. She's a somewhat attractive woman on the outside. On the inside...

Evil does not seem to be strong enough of a word for this woman and her actions.

I have seen people that have no conscience unless it benefits them and this disease has aname. It's called reactive attachment disorder where the person has no chance to attach correctly to people because he is not held when he's young. There is another disorder, Asberger's Disease, where a person doesn't ever compute how to act in public and is always repeating things. Maybe this awful woman who did this to a nine year old has one of these diseases. Shame on her. (shake head in disgust then barf in toilet)

Seen a lot of comments here about karma and God's plan for the taunting neighbor. Well, what if God's plan for her is redemption? What if, in his infinite compassion and grace, He has forgiven her, without retribution? Would we then thank Him for that grace? Or would we judge her attempts to live righteously as shameless and hypocritical? Just askin'.

She has not tried to live righteously or shamelessly. She has apparently learned nothing and remains vindictive to the family even after the she was rightly excoriated for her actions. She's sorry in so far as most people's reaction to her, but is not sorry enough to actually change her actions and behavior to her neighbors.

HShaver -

It could also just be pure sociopathy, which does not always have a reason or cause, and cannot be cured. Sociopaths have no conscience, compassion, empathy, or remorse. It's like they're broken somehow, made wrong from the start. Scary stuff. Who knows? We don't have enough information to make a real diagnosis.

Either way, anyone who does something like this is evil.

Yes you can block a poster, yes you can report such thing. This woman made the facebook page. I am not familiar with the story, just going on what previous posters have stated.

It is my understanding that if someone creates a page for you, you don't have much control over that. I am not familiar with the back story on this. I don't know if the grandmother's page would have been notified...?? Poor kid...kids shouldn't have to go through this stuff but amazingly they handle it much better than adults.

You can post pictures of other people on your own page. It sounds like the evil neighbor either put the pictures on her own page (which is then linked to and seen by many people exponentially as others see it and are appalled by it and start talking about it) or started a page herself but with the gir'ls name. However... all these people thinking "children shouldn't be on facebook", please realize, often Facebook pages are started in order to ask for support, prayers, and donations for a families' expenses when there is a major illness. Also to keep everyone posted on treatments and progress. I don't think that was the case here, but there's nothing wrong with that either.

If anyone encounters problems of this matter, the administrators of FaceBook can be contacted. What they do about it is a whole different ballgame. I understand that they generally discontinue such behaviors, but they must be reported and verified. All takes time. In the meantime, other FaceBook users can block the offending person or site from their own pages.

As for the action of this vile neighbor, let everyone know who and what she is. We don't need, nor want, creatures like these in our communities or lives. Many people of her ilk exist in this world, but for what reason, I don't really know. Clearly, a person like this must have many issues that she would attack a child. I personally believe it is a form of child abuse, and knowing that, she fits in with all the others who are child abusers.

Many condolences to the family of the little girl. Nine is far too young to suffer such a terrible disease. I know that many children suffer terrible tragedies, but it's just not what any of us ever want to experience or hear. It breaks my heart. Again, please accept my deepest sympathies.

I think caringbridge would be better for that we used it when one of the younger guys at work was T-boned at a country intersection and suffered severe head injuries. We were able to send messages and his mother was able to post updates and pictures as he recovered. I think its better for that in that idiots like this woman wouldn't be on it.

It should absolutely NEVER be allowed that any minor (ill or not) be PUBLICIZED without written permission of their parents/legal guardians!

The derogatory nature should not even have to exist before this is considered unacceptable and actionable.

Think about the things we teach our children (those of us who care to keep them safe, anyway). We teach our children NOT to give out information to strangers -- not our names, addresses, or other personal identifiers.

What gives ANYONE the right to make public the likeness of a minor without legal consent being given?

As for the derogatory nature of the public exposure this poor little child was subjected to (and as others have been, many times), it's high time there were some serious defamation of character lawsuits levelled at some of these online bullies.

And the police should be arresting these child molestors. They may not be sexually molesting the child(ren) directly, but they are opening the way for any possible perverts to be able to approach the child on the street, armed with the child's name and other info which might inspire the child to put unwarranted confidence in that stranger!

Grrrrrr!

Espy, the little girl did not have an account, the neighbor made one with her name and posted nasty messages...she also had a coffin and death scene in front of the home she rented (across the street from the child) with the little girls name on it.

Thank you all for a real education. I had no idea one could create such ugliness about/against anyone - much less a child - just because they felt like it. I had thought someone would have an account and then others would leave their "hatemail" there. Again, thanks.

Princess implies a hierarchy of rule in heaven for the souls of mortals.

That's kind of weird.

Surprised you didn't mention the misspelling of the word "lose."

Way to focus on what's important.

Oh spare us from spelling lessons. What is important is that people are expressing feeling the loss of a beautiful child, especially after her family endured the torment of some whacko. If you have ever lost your own child you'd understand you are not focused on what is important on this page.

We are all daughters and sons of a king, God our father. Some of you wonder what happens to a baby t hat is aborted or miscarried. What I understand is that since it led a blameless life it is in heaven. This also happens to children who die early until age 8, when they are able to be baptised as they know right from wrong. Then they choose their own path. So says the Mormon religion.

I agree: this "Neighbor" should be fed to the authorities: pity that Wayne County, MI cannot send this "Person" (If you can call it that) to a county like Maricopa, AZ, etc.

And Kudos is due to you for beating the disease.

"I can't believe where we've come to as a country."

AMEN to that!!!!

As an atheist, I don't believe in hell. But I hope the woman who did this horrible thing to this little girl is now suffering a hell-on-Earth. May her life be one of continuous suffering and misery.

I don't think you should judge who needs to go to hell and who can stay in heaven. And why do we need to wish more suffering on a woman who is already suffering from a diosorder or illness of some kind? We don't know the whole story. Until we do, don't say this person or that person should have eternal suffering. Besides, God said "Judge not, that ye shall not be judged."

The neighbor won't feel bad. If they were capable they wouldn't have posted the cr@p in the first place.

She doesn't feel bad at all. SHe has continued to bad mouth that little girl from the moment this all started last year. All of us in the community were and are still outraged by this jennifer petkov(sick neighbor). You can go to youtube to see what a monster she really is. She has been kicked out of the neighborhood by a judge and she continues to go back to her house right next door to where the little girl lived. She has no moral compass.

That actually brought tears to my eyes.

I could not agree more, Bazu. The issue hre isn't the medium, it's the use of the medium. Whether the woman was calling and taunting the child over the phone, from across the street, or via the internet - the taunting is the problem, not how the taunting was accomplished. FOr an adult to traget a child for any reason is pathetic at best, evil at worst. I don't know how so many have lost their humanity; it's really quite sad.

As for that sweet child, at least there is no more pain for her. I'm sure she is resting peacefully.

I really have to wonder why the media seems to be focusing on facebook so much... I've been on facebook for years and the only thing that's come out of it is that I've met up with people I haven't seen in years, renewed friendships with people who I figured I'd never seen again, and gotten to know better people I'd known online for years...

Some a$$holes use facebook to harass other people... these people would find some other way to be jerks regardless if there wasn't a facebook to do it on.

People need to stop blaming Facebook for the actions of its users and put the blame where it belongs, on the users. It is a medium of expression, just like the Newsvine and countless other forums and discussion boards and can not make anyone do anything. Mean, stupid people are everywhere and Facebook is but one of many ways for them to show themselves.

Bazu, I have to agree with you there. It is too easy to say this is the fault of technology (Facebook) and let people off the hook for their boorish behavior. Everyone wants to sidestep personal responsibility these days. Always either not their fault or they are a victim. I think it is easier for people to be rude, obnoxious, boorish, foul mouthed and hurtful because they can do so anonymously. They figure no one will know who they are and they can get away with it. But they are wrong! God is watching you and sees everything you do and you will have to answer for your actions when you die. You may not believe in God but you will find out how wrong you are one day. As Bette Midler's song says, "God is watching us-from a distance."

What is lacking in this country are common courtesy and civility. Both neccesary survival skills for living close together. This country is rolling downhill fast.

It's not only Facebook. Television, video games, movies, books, magazines, music, etc. are also blamed for people's behavior. People have got to take responsibility for their own actions instead of blaming the media for their extraordinary behavior. My heart goes out to Kathleen Edward and her family. May she rest in peace and her family take comfort that she is no longer in pain and is in the loving arms of her mother. Blessings to you all.

It was Jennifer Petkov

She might still be on facebook. Go leave her a message. I left her one when I first heard about this a few months ago.

She is on probation until September 2012 and is not supposed to be on Facebook.

Probation or not, she should never be allowed on FB again.

What is wrong with this woman? Who could taunt a child; let alone a sick, dying child? The good news is this woman will never have a happy life!

Please - - what is phenylketonuria?

HShaver, Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder occurring in 1 in 10,000 births in which they either lack phenylalanine hydroxlase (the most common defect) or tetrahydrobiopterin cofactor. Both of these are required to convert phenylalanine to tyrosine. Phenylalanine then builds up (and can be seen in the urine - thus the "uria" ending to the word) which, if the person doesn't follow the proper diet, can lead to mental retardation, growth retardation, seizures, fair skin (many are very pale with white hair - almost look albino), eczema and a musty body odor. If a PKU woman doesn't stick to her diet very very carefully during pregnancy, the infant can be born with microcephaly, mental retardation, growth retardation and congenital heart defects.

I don't know if you have children or not - but, this is tested for within 2 - 3 days of birth (have to wait a couple of days because the maternal enzymes can cause false negatives). So, a child born with PKU can be discovered right away and be immediately put on a specialized diet (that avoids any phenylalanine and have high tyrosine). If you notice a lot of food packages (it's really common to see on gum packages that contain aspartame) say this contains phenylketones (phenylketones contain phenylalanine) - this is to let those w/ PKU know that this food item would NOT be safe for them to consume.

Rae K: I am so sorry you were harassed and made fun of just because of your genetic disease. No one should go through what you or this little girl had to go through.

Is it me or does everyone else have the urge to flood her email and facebook with hate messages?

Thank you summer, u got to it a lot faster than I could...but how do u know about it? No one does. Even alot of general doctors I've been to, it's bad when i have to educate them about it. Even less is known my being an elder (51) and wasn't diagnosed until late 3 years old..guess a guinea pig most my life. I was truly a popular target for not only verbal abuse, but physical too from my so-called classmates. Makes me wonder if that poor little girl was ever beat up by her peers too.

Rae K: I have that same urge - but, I'm going to take the higher road and restrain myself :)

You're welcome. I know about it because it's one of the diseases that is taught during 1st semester biochemistry in medical school (I'm a second year medical student), and it has a highish chance of being on the step I board exams I have to take in 5 months, so I was just review it the other day. They like to teach it in medical school because it's actually pretty straight forward and it's easy to show how a non-essential amino acid becomes an essential amino acid because of the lack of appropriate enzymes or co-factor.

I have two children - one of which is entirely healthy, and the other that has some special needs (he's on the autism spectrum, ADHD, has a primary immune deficiency, yet, also has some severe food allergies). I've been very lucky so far, NONE of his classmates have treated him the way you were treated nor have any adults done to him even similar things like this woman did to Kathleen. Everyone has treated him very well and been very encouraging to him. Well, he was bullied by a group of kids for a bit - but, other children told me about it and when I spoke the the principle about it, the bullying stopped.

I just have a really hard time with understanding why someone would taunt (or worse) another person - especially for something that is beyond their control (your PKU, Kathleen's Huntington's, my son's autism spectrum disorder, etc., etc). It's even worse when it's an "adult" doing the taunting. I just don't get why some people think being cruel is ok.

Sounds like this woman is a real kook. Hope they also banned her from using computers as a condition of her probation.

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/2-of-jennifer-petkov-kids-to-live-with-father-20101020-wpms

Sick Sick people, so glad they took her children away.

Facebook did not setup the account for the little girl to use. It's the parents fault for letting her use it. If she was getting harrased then she should have blocked them so they wouldn't have been able to contact them.

herenow2....the family did NOT set up the FB account! It was the tacky neighbor who set it up and then proceeded to harass that little girl. Please don't blame the family for what an idiot did.

herenow.....the little girl was not on facebook and was protected by her family from the bullying that this woman was doing.

Facebook isn't responsible for the low life mentality of some of its users. Facebook cannot make anyone do anything, it is simply a medium of expression. Put the blame where it belongs, on the users.

Facebook isn't responsible for the low life mentality of some of its users. Facebook cannot make anyone do anything, it is simply a medium of expression. Put the blame where it belongs, on the users.

Not quite true... Facebook could do something just they do here on NewsVine.... Moderators that can Delete improper things and Suspend or Ban those that act inappropriately !

Not in this case, but facebook should not have moderators deciding what is appropriate, it is social media, not socialist media!

My condolences to the family and all who loved her.

The essential problem here is not facebook. It is the degree to which our society has degenerated so that vicious attacks such as this one by a miscreant against a poor child with a terrible disease have become more commonplace and tolerated. In the days of my youth, woe unto someone who would dare do such a thing in whatever medium was then available. A moderator would have been needed only to pick up the pieces.

Deserving or not deserving things doesn't change anything about what is though.

jennifer petkov...check her out on youtube!!