Who Would Taunt a Dying Child? These People!

Proverbially speaking, it is never considered proper to kick a fellow when he is down — doing so in reality is even worse. Whether it comes in the form of ridiculing a person who is sleeping on the street or yelling cruel insults at a person in a wheelchair, it is simply not the proper way for one person to behave toward another.

This is particularly despicable when the target in question is a child and even more so when the child has a terminal illness — such as the late Kathleen Edward, age 9 when she passed away, who was taunted and bullied by her neighbors to the end of her life.

It is entirely possible that her neighbors were two of the most cruel human beings to ever live.

Huntington’s, a degenerative brain disorder, also claimed the lives of Kathleen’s grandfather and mother, whose death was the subject of hateful Facebook posts by her neighbor in late 2010.

Jennifer Petkov, 33 at the time, admitted that she posted an image depicting Kathleen’s face set above a skull and crossbones and another showing her dead mother in the arms of the grim reaper.

Petkov apologized after her expletive-filled explanation went viral online, explaining that her actions were the result of a long-running inter-family dispute that has continued to play out in court.

Is there such a thing as any inter-family dispute that could possible excuse taunting a dying child? There is no such thing.

To add further insult to all of this, the offending neighbor then made an appearance on the Dr. Phil show and, in front of a live and television audience, asked for forgiveness. Kathleen’s father forgave her on behalf of Kathleen.

Going on television is not how you right a wrong like this. Had she been sincere about wanting to apologize it would not have been done in front of an audience but in the privacy of the Edward living room. When your apology is so public it waters down the value of the apology itself. Had their cruel actions not been featured on television in the first place, you can only imagine that there would have never been an apology, let alone one with a studio audience — so I am highly skeptical that there was any real remorse.