Guardianship Gone Wrong: Help Us Reclaim Our Brother

I’m Terrance Dillard — And I’m Fighting for My Brother

In 2007, my brother Darryl’s life was changed in an instant. He was hit by a car while crossing a street in Detroit. The injuries were catastrophic—he was unresponsive, in a coma, and admitted to the hospital as a John Doe.

When the hospital finally identified him, they called our mother. She called me, and I rushed to the hospital. Seeing my brother—strong, full of life—hooked up to machines and fighting to live was something I’ll never forget.

But that day wasn’t the beginning of Darryl’s recovery. It was the beginning of a long, painful battle—not just for his health, but for his freedom.

Because he had no ID at the time of the accident, and due to Michigan’s complicated auto insurance laws, the state stepped in and assigned a court-appointed attorney to “protect” Darryl. What they really protected was profit. That attorney became Darryl’s legal guardian and has controlled his life ever since.

Meanwhile, Darryl has a living mother. He has brothers and sisters. A family who has been here the whole time—ready and willing to care for him. But for 17 years, we’ve been locked out of decisions. Our voices have been ignored. And Darryl has remained under the control of someone who doesn’t know him, doesn’t love him, and shouldn’t be there.

Our mom, now 92 years old, fought this battle for as long as she could. The courts gave her a symbolic title—Co-Guardian—but with no real authority. When her health began to decline, she turned to me and asked me to take up the fight.

So I did.

I hired an attorney. I filed in court to have the guardian removed and to have my sister Tonya and me take over our brother’s care. But the court sided with the attorney. And the attorney, fully aware of Darryl’s brain injury, manipulated him into believing he didn’t need us. That’s how this system works. It isolates. It controls. It profits.

But I’m not backing down.

Twelve months ago, I brought in my siblings. We stood up as a family. We started covering the legal fees ourselves—scraping together what we could. Most of my brothers and sisters are retired. Only a few of us are still working. But we’ve managed to raise nearly $12,000 so far just to keep the case moving.

And we’re still fighting.

This story isn’t unique. If you’ve seen the Netflix film "I Care a Lot", then you’ve seen a fictional version of what we’re living through. Guardianship abuse is real. It's happening behind closed doors in courtrooms all across this country. And now, we’re speaking out.

We are not asking for pity—we’re asking for justice.

Darryl deserves better. Families like ours deserve better. If this story resonates with you, if it makes you pause and feel something, I’m asking you to stand with us.

Pray with us. Share this story. And if you’re in a position to give, help us cover the legal costs of getting our brother back into the hands of the people who love him.

Thank you for your time, your support, and your strength.

— Terrance Dillard