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This bout of hiccups, well, it lasted 14 years

TV segment led to reunion with long-lost dad.

By CASEY CORA and MARY JANE PARK, Times Staff Writers
Published August 30, 2007

Mike Mee was transfixed the first time he saw his daughter on NBC's Today show, talking about her unceasing hiccups.

"I just thought she was beautiful," he said of Jennifer Mee, the 16-year-old St. Petersburg girl whose bout with hiccups garnered international attention.

Mee, a hotel maintenance worker who lives in Vermont, hadn't seen his daughter in more than a decade.

After that February appearance, Mee reached out to reconnect with Jennifer through a relative. They started talking on the phone, and then last month the teen traveled to Vermont to spend two months with the man she hadn't seen since she was 2.

"It was a new experience," she said. "I didn't think I'd ever be able to get in touch with him, and now that I have, I'm glad I did."

On Wednesday, Mike Mee found himself in front of the television again to watch his only child on the Today show for a segment that featured updates on the year's popular stories.

"I got right to work and sat down in front of the TV and waited," he said Wednesday.

He saw Jennifer break into tears as she told anchor Ann Curry about their recent reunion.

During her two-week trip, Jennifer also was able to reconnect with Mee's parents, who live in Connecticut.

"It's been great," Mike Mee said. "That's the only word I can think of right now. It's been fantastic. We had fun."

"It was a lot of fun. Oh, man," Jennifer said. "I celebrated my 16th birthday with them."

Jennifer's mother, Rachel Robidoux, was a little more reserved about the reunion.

"He's had some issues in the past," she said. "Maybe the time is right. I hope he doesn't disappoint her."

"A lot of it had to do with drugs," Jennifer said of his earlier problems, which she said were not apparent during her visit to Rutland, where Mee has a maintenance job at a Red Roof Inn.

Mike Mee said he wasn't ready for the responsibility of fatherhood back then.

"I wasn't capable, and I wasn't going to ruin anybody else's life," he said. "You fall into a pattern, and it's really hard to come out. Drinking was a really big issue. It's been a long time, and I had my own problems. I guess if you can overcome them, everything turns out great. I'll do whatever I can for her."

During Wednesday's broadcast, Jennifer answered questions about going back to school (she's a 10th-grader at Northeast High in St. Petersburg), turning 16 and getting relief from the hiccups. She's been largely hiccup-free for about six weeks, although she continues to have occasional bouts.

Jennifer ran away from home briefly in June, but said her relationship with her family in St. Petersburg has improved.

"It's really good, I think, since I came back from seeing my dad," she said. "I'm not as smart-mouthed, but sometimes I have my moments."

Times researcher Carolyn Edds contributed to this report.

[Last modified August 30, 2007, 00:31:03]