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Bad Memories Sold To Tampa Man

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By KYLE MARTIN, Hernando Today

Published: December 11, 2007

Updated: 12/10/2007 10:11 pm

SPRING HILL - Even with all the advancements in medicine today, kissing a booboo still holds magical healing powers.

It's that type of psychological release that Jeff Gonzalez hopes a certain 6-year-old will find when she sells him her neck brace.

That youngster is named Morgan Katocs and she's the victim of a car crash that crushed her young body.

Morgan has made great progress since the head-on collision in July, but she still wears a protective back brace to keep her fragile spine from further injury.

Physical therapy is still a weekly requirement and monthly trips to specialists are in the forecast for a long time.

But Morgan needs more than time to heal physically. Bad memories of the accident, caused by a drunk driver, still haunt her dreams.

After watching a TV program about selling collectible cards on eBay, Morgan got the idea to sell her nightmares on the virtual marketplace. Her mother, Karen Hyde, tried to explain that eBay didn't work like that, but Morgan was insistent.

So Hyde made a listing for her daughter's memories, which were represented by a neck brace. Her listing drew thousands of viewers and bids peaked near $500.

Then eBay removed the listing, saying memories were an intangible item. Hyde posted the memories again and made it clear that the neck brace was for sale.

But soon after the new post, some sellers complained that the pictures of Morgan were pornographic and the listing was a scam. Those comments caused the listing to be pulled again on Thursday. Hyde was devastated, but not as much as her daughter.

"It was very innocent, genuine and heartfelt," Hyde said. They turned it into a "twisted, sick thing."

But one bidder wasn't about to let it just slip away. Gonzalez was the top bidder and contacted Hyde outside the confines of eBay. He still wanted the memories.

Gonzalez has a 10-year-old daughter at home, so he understands how important the act of selling the memories is.

"Psychologically speaking, it will probably work," he said.

Hyde and her daughter have been invited to Gonzalez's Tampa Palms home to receive the check. That money will go to the Tampa chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) and a charity for children who have lost their parents in military conflict.

Morgan was going to keep some money for herself to buy an $8 necklace she had set her sights on. Gonzalez plans to buy it for her and a gift for her 11-year-old brother.

"It was heartwarming that someone was still willing to do that," Hyde said.

Reporter Kyle Martin can be reached at 352-544-5271 or kmartin@hernandotoday.com.

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