1. Trevor Braden, MD
86 Willow Street
South Portland, Mf
04106
May 15,2009
Dear Mr. Altshuler;
I am writing to you concerning Mila Malenko and my family's ongoing care
for her when her mother, Lori Handrahan, needs assistance. Also included
in this letter will be an unofficial assessment (in the role of neighbor and
friend) of Lori's competency as a mother.
I have gotten to know Lori and Mila through neighborhood interactions over
the last year or so. Soon after meeting Lori, my wife, Lisa, began to offer
child care. The relationship rapidly grew as we learned more and more
about Lori's struggles and needs. Through this close relationship I have
seen the interaction between mother and daughter and am continuously
amazed at Lori's determination and fortitude. Mila, too, has proven to be
very resilient, in large part, I believe, because of Lori's excellent care.
Currently we see them both at least 3-5 times per week under numerous
circumstances and we provide primary care for Mila when Lori has
professional obligations.
Lori is truly an exceptional mother. Her care, dedication, devotion,
sacrifice, and deep love for Mila is evident every second of every moment I
have seen them interact. I have never seen her raise her voice to Mila. Even
when she returns from international travel, exhausted, Lori is consistently
kind, gentle, thoughtful, and loving with Mila. When away, Lori calls Mila
several times a day and often has long chats with her on the phone prior to
sleep. Mila is clearly Lori's top priority and I have seen Lori repeatedly
schedule her professional obligations around Mila, Unfortunately this
comes at the detriment of Lori's social life which at this point appears to
only consist of the occasional neighborhood, family potluck dinner or
birthday party. The clearest example of her dedication is Mila, who, despite
the turmoil of divorce and transfers, remains a happy and loving child full of

2. wonder for the world. Mila is both independent in many of her activities as
well as fully engaging with the people around her. She exhibits an
exceptional confidence and is a true joy to spend time with. Mila is certainly
thriving under Lori's care, even under the less than ideal circumstances.
Lori appears to be under constant strain from her ex-husband, Igor, whom
she has to face four days a week during the transfer of Mila. Several points
throughout the year, she has gotten so uncomfortable facing her ex-husband
and his lawyer that my wife and I have offered to accompany her to the
transfer at the local recreational center. For several months we made it a
point to offer this service 3-4 times a week as support for Lori and we still
join her on occasion when she is feeling particularly vexed. During all these
transfers and in all my interactions with Lori, I have never heard her utter a
negative comment about her ex-husband in front of Mila. She has shown
impressive self-restraint and clear boundaries when it comes to her actions
around her child.
At this point I can say that I know both Lori and Mila very well and have
seen how they respond under the duress and struggle over
visitationlcoparenting.
Recently Lori has shared her ex-husband's latest motion to the court asking
that Mila be removed from primary residence with her mother. This is an
absurd request and certainly makes me question Igor's best intentions tor
Mila. It would be outrageously damaging to Mila with profound effects on
the rest of her life. To remove a child of two and a half from the strong
mother-child bond that has developed between Mila and her mother would
be unconscionable and the damage to Mila would be irreversible. I do not
know what evidence is being presented by Igor's lawyer but there is nothing
that I have witnessed that could justify such a move.
Another concerning element in Lori and Mila's situation is the court's
decision to keep Lori from moving back to her friends, connections, and
work in Washington D.C. For most of her adult life Lori has lived in D.C.
where she has developed her career and set deep roots. The decision to
move to Maine was to be only temporary. However, now that her family is
in tatters" she is stranded in a place with few friends and a strained
professional life. I bring this up in the context of Mila's best interest.
Certainly having her mother surrounded by a strong social network and a
stable professional life is in Mila's best interest. I have met some of Lori's

3. Washington D.C. friends when they have visited. One in particular brought
her family- two girls whom Mila delighted in playing with. Knowing Lori
as well as I do, I cannot understand why the court has ruled to shackle her to
a place with so few supports.
I have recently learned that Lori is facing increasing pressure from her
employer to move back to D.C. Unfortunately, Maine does not offer similar
employment opportunities and the financial strain this puts on Lori is
mounting. Lori has appeared to have tried all avenues to reason with her ex-
husband and find some middle ground whereby she can move from Maine,
with little success. My understanding is that Igor's employment is much
more flexible- in fact, Lori has told me that he is considering returning to
school. So, besides the developmental and social reasons for the move, the
financial one seems to be fairly prominent as well. Is Mila's best interest
really being held as primary?
In summary, my wife and I have become quite attached to Mila. She is an
exceptional child caught ina difficult situation. I believe that there could be
no better care for Mila than with her mother. We have enormous respect for
Lori as a mother, a parent, and a primary earner for Mila. I strongly urge the
court to do the right thing by Mila and allow Lori to relocate to Washington,
D.C. and dismiss her ex-husband's attempt at primary custody. As I have
argued previously, this would seriously undermine Mila's future
development into the beautiful and engaging child she is sure to become.
Sincerely,
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Trevor Braden, MD