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Freeing Teresa

Freeing Teresa

A True Story about My Sister and Me — by Franke James

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Freeing Teresa

Wrongly declared incapable, woman’s story exposes flaws of “forced care”

November 30, 2023 by Freeing Teresa


VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ – Ten years ago today, Teresa Heartchild was rescued from an involuntary placement in a Toronto nursing home. Her future had been written off when a social worker ticked a box saying she was “not capable.” During the assessment, Heartchild, who has Down syndrome, objected to the incorrect health information. But, she was ignored and admitted to a nursing home as a long-term resident.

Heartchild was trapped in a system that would not listen to her voice.

“It was heartbreaking,” says her sister Franke James, an environmental activist. James challenged the placement and helped secure Heartchild’s discharge on November 30, 2013. However, another sibling opposed Heartchild’s release and called the police. So, the two sisters had to stand together against the police, the healthcare system, and their own family to defend Heartchild’s right to be free.

Teresa Heartchild holds up the book Freeing Teresa
which tells how she lost—and then regained—her freedom ten years ago.

Forced care is a mechanism that helps society care for people who cannot care for themselves. It can be enacted through legal guardianships, police apprehensions, medical orders, or social worker’s assessments. But it can easily go wrong, adversely affecting everyone from pop stars to football players, from the elderly to the disabled. People with disabilities are particularly vulnerable. UN Special Rapporteur, Catalina Devandas-Aguilar, said in 2019, “The deprivation of liberty on the basis of disability is a human rights violation on a massive global scale.”

“I love my human rights.” Heartchild says, “Please don’t take them away just because I have Down syndrome.”The two sisters worked together to win a public apology from the Ontario Minister of Health. The B.C. Human Rights Commissioner named Heartchild as a“Champion for Change.” 

Now, a new book tells their harrowing story. Freeing Teresa: A True Story about My Sister and Me.“It’s shocking to realize that ableism—prejudice against people with disabilities—almost held Teresa back from fulfilling her true potential,” James says. “We need to tell this story to bring about change.”

“It’s for all the people with disabilities,” Heartchild says.

For interviews and documentation: Franke James, franke@frankejames.com.

Freeing Teresa is available at bookstores and Amazon.

Visit: freeingteresa.com, teresaheartchild.com, and frankejames.com.

Note: Teresa Heartchild is a pen name which she is using since some of her family members do not want to be associated with this story.

Filed Under: News

Ten years ago today…

November 30, 2023 by Freeing Teresa


November 29, 2013

Ten years ago today, on Nov 29, 2013, I called my father about @TeresaHeartchild’s sudden placement in the nursing home.

He felt that she had been kidnapped. “Listen, I’m really upset now.” Dad was steaming. “I want somebody to bring me down there! And I want to get Teresa out.”

“Maybe we should take you down?” I said, “And we could try to get Teresa released.”


November 28, 2013

Ten years ago today, on Nov 28, 2013, I was heartbroken. I was visiting my sister @TeresaHeartchild on her second day at the Toronto nursing home. Teresa was sitting cross-legged on her bed. On the floor next to her was a row of big plastic shopping bags stuffed with her clothing & belongings. I was pleased that she hadn’t unpacked yet; I took it as a sign that she did not want to stay.
#Downsyndrome #forcedcare #activist #memoir #FreeingTeresa #truestory


November 27, 2013

Ten years ago today, on Nov 27, 2013, my life and @TeresaHeartchild‘s were changed forever. Teresa was taken out for a nice breakfast — and then put into a nursing home (with no medical need to be there and against her wishes).
Read the rollercoaster story — Freeing Teresa: A True Story about My Sister and Me

#memoir #books #disability #forcedcare #FreeingTeresa #TrueStory #DisabilityRights

Filed Under: News

Cast of Characters

October 29, 2023 by Freeing Teresa

Franke: "But Teresa has  a legal right to  decide where she  lives. Have you  talked to her?"

Franke: The Activist (Sister)

Siobhan: "This is going to be the most horrible thing we do as a group."

Siobhan: The Planner (Sister)

 “I’m not going. I want to stay with Dad.”

Teresa: The Self-Talk Poet (Youngest Sister)

Phoebe: “You may end up saying, Oh my God! The only thing we have is a nursing home.”

Phoebe: The Harmonizer (Sister)

Dad: “She’s got a safe place to live. Here with me!”

Dad: The Retired Lawyer (Father)

Conrad: “I’m not having a discussion until YOU see what we’re putting up with!”

Conrad: The Guardian (Brother)

Bill: “Maybe it’s time to surprise them... They would have to take Teresa off the crisis list.”

Bill: The Campaigner (Frank’s Husband)

Deirdre: “The police will come. Just think of how awful it’ll be for that poor little girl.”

Deirdre: The Boss (Sister)

Cop: “...is going to be apprehended under the Mental Health Act.”

The Police: The Righteous Cop


Note from Publisher: Freeing Teresa is a work of nonfiction. Some of the names and identifying factors have been changed.

Note from Author: The text in the images above is based on videos, audio recordings, and/or emails produced during the actual events. With the exception of Teresa, my siblings do not wish to be identified with this story. I have used pseudonyms for them. In the book where their photos appear, I have replaced their images with blank space. The silhouettes above are symbolic representations, echoing their absence in my life. My father was always a strong supporter of Teresa’s freedom; however, in the photo where he appears, I have blurred his face. The police officer’s face has been redacted in white.

Filed Under: News

Advance Praise

October 24, 2023 by Freeing Teresa

“With characteristic courage and determination, Franke James took on the health care system and her own family to free her sister Teresa from a nursing home. By turns gut-wrenching and awe-inspiring, Freeing Teresa shows how the disability rights ideal of ‘nothing about us without us’ is the only way to make decisions about frail or aging family members. This story will break your heart and then fill it up again.”
Catherine McKercher, author of Shut Away: When Down Syndrome Was a Life Sentence

“An unshakeable belief in human potential” 

“This is a gripping story about courage, love, and an unshakeable belief in human potential—about people who possess a rare combination of optimism with savviness about power, law, and human nature. Inspirational.”
Marty Seldman, Ph.D., WSJ Bestselling author of Survival of the Savvy

“Full of insight, heartbreak and inspiration” 

“Full of insight, heartbreak and inspiration, Freeing Teresa offers a compelling glimpse into the experience of people with disabilities. This no-holds-barred story is a must-read for decision-makers, advocates, family members, and anyone who cares about disability rights.”
Karla Verschoor, Executive Director, Inclusion BC

“A must-read for anyone who cares about human dignity and equal rights”

“The battle to have Teresa be the best she can be—and to spend her life in a loving environment—is the heart of this book. A truly amazing story about an inspiring person and those who made it happen. A must-read for anyone who cares about human dignity and equal rights.”
George Melnyk, Professor Emeritus, Communication, Media and Film, University of Calgary

“Authentic, raw and riveting”

“Freeing Teresa is authentic, raw and riveting. It was an emotional roller coaster—one that will be very real for many disabled people. At its core, it’s about hope for a better life and resilience.” 
Isabel Mavrides-Calderon, @Powerfullyissa, disability advocate 

“A courageous, personal account”

“Franke James has written a courageous, personal account of fighting the system—and her family—to free her sister, Teresa, from forced care. It is a study in family dynamics and how individual perspectives, regardless of how ‘well-meaning’ they may be, can place our loved ones’ human rights at risk. Freeing Teresa reflects in microcosm society’s struggles to maintain appropriate supports for people with disabilities who need care, in the face of those who resent expenditures on the ‘unproductive’ amongst us.” 
Alanna Hendren, Executive Director, Developmental Disabilities Association

Find Freeing Teresa at Amazon, your favourite bookstore, or your local library

Filed Under: News, Reviews Tagged With: #caregiving, #downsyndrome, #freeingteresa, #memoir, siblings

Our “gut-wrenching” story is out

October 21, 2023 by Freeing Teresa

Teresa and Franke are in front of the book launch poster—celebrating ten years of freedom

Our “gut-wrenching” story is out! It’s only taken me ten years, but my new book, Freeing Teresa: A True Story about My Sister and Me, was published last week. It’s a roller-coaster sister story. I was reluctant to share this for years, but now, after much consultation with literary editors, sensitivity readers, lawyers — and my husband Bill’s help, and my sister Teresa’s too — I’ve written it and am ready to tell it. Because we need change. Teresa is not the only one to have experienced forced placement. She is the tip of the iceberg. There’s a long history of segregation faced by people with disabilities in the USA and Canada. I hope Freeing Teresa will help raise awareness about this. The problem hasn’t disappeared with the closure of big institutions. Nursing homes have taken their place.

Below are a few of the endorsements we’ve received for book one (it’s a trilogy where Teresa’s voice and agency grow exponentially):

“Gut-wrenching and awe-inspiring. This story will break your heart and then fill it up again.”

CATHERINE McKERCHER, author of Shut Away

“A gripping story about courage, love, and an unshakeable belief in human potential.”

MARTY SELDMAN, Ph.D., author of Survival of the Savvy

“Full of insight, heartbreak and inspiration. This no-holds-barred story is a must-read for anyone working in the field of disability rights.”

KARLA VERSCHOOR, Executive Director, Inclusion BC
Buy the Book

Filed Under: News

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