I am the third Daughter of my father, Kyle Kimoto. I love my dad so much, and have missed his physical presence in my life for the many years he has been in prison. Sadly, I don’t have many memories of my dad outside of prison as I did not get to experience much of my life with him there because he was taken from me when I was just 7 years old. While I do not have many memories of my dad before he was taken away from us, the few I have I hold close to my heart. In 2008 My father was convicted of deceptive marketing, and while it was a first time offense for a non-violent crime, my dad was given a shockingly unfair 30 year sentence in prison. HOW YOU CAN HELP
One of my favorite memories of my dad was our wonderful daddy daughter nights. My dad has always made me feel like a princess and he went all out for daddy daughter nights. He would buy us each our own customized Hollywood Babe dresses and order a limo to come pick us up at our house making my sisters and I feel so loved and special. He would then take us to a night on the town. We would see a show and get a nice dinner. This was an annual occurrence but unfortunately I only got to experience a few of these special daddy daughter nights before he was taken.
While my father was not physically in my life after the age of 7, that does not mean I have not been able to have a great relationship including meaningful and deep experiences with my dad. We get to visit him once every few months, and while the trips are pretty tiresome they are always worth getting to see my dad. As I have grown, I have recognized the great efforts my dad has made to try and stay as much a part of all of our lives as is possible from a prison cell. I can feel my dad’s love for me and my family and appreciate all he continues to try and do for us all. HOW YOU CAN HELP
My dad has now served over 12 years of his unjust 30 year sentence, and I continue to pray every day that he can have his sentence reduced so he can come home to our family sooner than later.
Since my dad was sent to prison, he has grown tremendously as we all have as a family. One of my favorite things about my dad is that he always knows how to make me laugh. When my siblings and I go visit him there are a lot of tears shed but I always leave the prison feeling happier than when I arrived because my dad makes me feel so loved and special. One of my favorite experiences of him in prison is when I get to have one on one time with him, which can be hard sometimes considering I have 5 other siblings fighting for his attention. He is always able to focus on me and give me life advice, guidance, and love.
My dad has really mastered the art of multitasking. My 5 siblings and I used to fight over who got to sit on my dad’s lap and we would have a rotation so everyone would get a turn. If someone stayed on his lap too long the next person in line would usually break down in tears. As we get older the fight is now who gets to sit closest to my dad when we visit him at the prison, and if you get up from the golden spot for too long it will be taken immediately (usually resulting in a fight). We all love our dad so much. HOW YOU CAN HELP
Another great experience I had with my dad when visiting him in prison was the time he implemented a “Special” visit day. My father was the teacher of a class at his prison that focused on how to be a good parent. One of the weekends of visitation, thanks to my dad the prisoners were allowed to decorate the visitation room and create fun activities to do with their kids. One of the activities was watching a movie and I remember being really excited for this, not because I am particularly fond of watching movies, but because I hadn’t seen a movie with my dad in over 10 years. I remember when the movie turned on I didn’t get to sit by my dad so I started crying and he made my sister move over so I could sit by him while we watched the movie. That was such a wonderful day with him.
I have had so many wonderful experiences through this trial but I have also experienced a lot of difficulties. It is especially hard to watch the person you love most in this world suffer the way he is suffering. One of the hardest things I have to do is say goodbye to him when visitation time is up. It is just never enough time, and in some ways it is like losing him all over again. I have to hug him and let him go and it breaks my heart every time. Still, I am always grateful I am able to see him. HOW YOU CAN HELP
My dad has missed a lot of really big moments in all of our lives. He missed my graduation, so many Birthdays and Christmas’s, and he has never even met two of his grandkids. It makes me so sad to think he will miss my wedding and so many more beautiful moments. Whenever we have family gatherings, it always feels like there is someone missing, and that is because there is someone missing. I pray every day that my father will get to come home soon.
One of the most amazing things I have been able to witness through this terrible experience has been watching another human being grow and withstand such difficult pain without ever complaining. I have never once heard my dad talk negatively about his situation, he has come closer to God and I have seen him get through some very tough times. HOW YOU CAN HELP
Recently, when Covid-19 hit the prisons, my dad’s prison had one of the worst outbreaks. Over 900 inmates got Covid-19 including my dad. This was a scary time for me because communication with my dad completely stopped. My family had no idea what was happening to my dad during those dark times. A few weeks went by of not hearing from my dad until finally someone received a letter from him. My grandma was the one who heard from him and let everyone else in the family know what had happened. He had been in lock down with no access to the computers or phones. Visitation was completely shut down and he had been placed in solitary confinement with one other prisoner. Solitary confinement is not fun. It is a small cell with a medal bunk, a medal sink and a toilet. The guards were letting him out every four days to shower and they were not allowed to go outside. I couldn’t talk to my dad for months. The only way of communicating was through letters and the letters would take weeks longer than normal to get to him.
This experience showed me how strong my dad really is. He stayed positive the whole time. He didn’t see the sun for three months and yet he never complained. He showed me happiness is a choice and even in the hardest conditions we have the power to withstand them in good spirits. This is just one example of many where he has taught me this. HOW YOU CAN HELP
I am extremely thankful to have such an amazing dad. I know it is rare for someone to have such a close bond with their father and I would really love to have him home again to once again experience what it’s like to have him around. I know he deserves to be let out; he has already server over 12 years of an unjust 30 year sentence for a first time, non-violent offense. Not only does this burden him tremendously but it burdens me, his other children, his grandkids, his friends, and all his family.
My dad has been the single most impactful person in my entire life. He has helped me grow so much. He is always patient and kind with me. He has been a great example for me and everyone around him. His testimony of the gospel has become so strong and he has taught me so much about how to get through this difficult life we have been given. It has become an experience I would not trade for the world. It has given me the dad I have today. He is wonderful and I think it is time for him to come home again. HOW YOU CAN HELP
I pray that my father will get to come home soon. I pray that anyone that reads this post will consider writing a letter to the President to ask that he please reduce my father’s unfair 30 year sentence.