http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/20/earlyshow/main3953431.shtml

March 20, 2008

(CBS) Ten-year-old Jayci Yaeger is dying of brain cancer, and has one final wish — to have her father spend some time at her bedside before she dies.  She’s in a Lincoln, Neb. hospice.

However, her father, Jason Yaeger, is in a federal minimum security prison in South Dakota, serving five-and-a-half years for a drug conviction. He has less than a year left in his sentence, and is set to be released to a halfway house in four months.

Jason and the Yaeger family have appealed many times to the warden for a 30-day supervised release, which could be allowed under "extraordinary circumstances." However, the family says these appeals have been denied, and the prison tells them the circumstances are not "extraordinary."

"She’s very scared," Jayci’s mother, Vonda Yaeger says, "and I think she’s holding on for her father. She didn’t do anything wrong. He was there for her when she was born. He should be there for her when she goes."
Jason, she says, was always a very good father to Jayci.

The Early Show had an exclusive interview with Vonda on Thursday. Click here to see the interview.
Vonda said "the tumors are growing and hemorrhaging, and right now there’s nothing they can do for her, just keep her comfortable," reports CBS News affiliate KMTV in Omaha, Neb. "She’s very scared, and I think she’s holding on for her father."

KMTV’s Michelle Bandur reports that the family says they’ll keep fighting to get Jason out to grant his little girl’s last wish. "She didn’t do anything wrong. He was there for her when she was born. He should be there for her when she goes."

Okay, I have really mixed feelings about this story.  In one way I wonder how good of a father to his daughter he really was, to end up in jail for 5 1/2 years.  On the other side, we all make mistakes and drugs are a bad habit to kick.  He is paying for his mistake and has 4 more months to go before being released to a half way house. 

The warden doesn’t consider the circumstances ‘extraordinary’.  If it is not a dying girl, what is?

And if I understand it right, they are not asking for his sentence to be commuted just frozen for 30 days so he can tend to her. 

What has the state to loose in this?

Thoughts?