Exhibit Letter from Amber Rhoads — USA v. Alexandra Acosta (Dkt. 115-5, S.D. Fla.)

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Case 0:23-cr-60170-RNS Document 115-5 Entered on FLSD Docket 08/15/2024 Page 1 of 3
Exhibit 5
(Letter from Amber Rhoads)
Case 0:23-cr-60170-RNS Document 115-5 Entered on FLSD Docket 08/15/2024 Page 2 of 3
Dear Judge Scola,
My name is Amber Rhoads. I have had the absolute pleasure of having Alex and Erin
Acosta’s son, Oliver, in my Pre-K 3 class this past school year. Ollie is an amazing little boy,
full of fun and so bright! One would never assume that with his big personality also comes a
very serious disease. I have been teaching for 10 years, and this was the first time I have
been in a situation where one of my students needed constant medical attention and
monitoring. It was absolutely eye opening how much goes into pediatric diseases,
specifically diabetes.
Before school even began, Alex had organized a meeting with myself, my teaching
assistant, and the principal of the school to go over all of the in’s and out’s of medically
caring for Ollie. I had no idea before this meeting and throughout the rest of the school year
how much CONSTANT work, communication, and monitoring go into diabetes — especially
for a 3 year old who’s life literally relies solely on his caregivers at the time. He is very
mature for his age, but of course nowhere near being able to monitor and care for himself. If
the proper monitoring and communication was not being used at any given moment, it
could become a life or death situation. That is why during this meeting we really stressed
parental involvement and constant communication throughout the school day. And from
then on, we did just that. Alex was ALWAYS in constant communication with us, and vice
versa. I understood that having a 3 year-old diabetic in my class was no light task, but
because Alex was so on top of helping us, and guiding us every day, it made it doable.
Between sending her constant dosing numbers, and calling when he was showing too low
or too high (which never became any less scary) she always put Ollie’s needs first and was
always there to help. She was always our first source of communication at all times. There
were a few instances throughout the year where she had to come in during the school day
to give Ollie his insulin, because myself or my aid was not available to do so. I cannot
imagine how we would have made it through the school year without her communication
and guidance.
The Acosta family handled each and every step with us with such grace and
patience. As a mother myself to young kids, I very often imagined myself in their shoes and
how hard it has to be to constantly worry and stress about your child’s health and safety,
day and night. It is a 24 hour job, and I cannot fathom how hard that has to be. Ollie is such
a light, and will do wonderful things throughout his life. It was an absolute joy to have him
Case 0:23-cr-60170-RNS Document 115-5 Entered on FLSD Docket 08/15/2024 Page 3 of 3
be part of my life this past year, and I am excited to watch him grow into an amazing young
man.
Sincerely,
Amber Rhoads
July 17, 2024


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