11 year old girl who discontinued chemotherapy for alternative medicine dies

[Jets4Life]

http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/aboriginal/...dies-1.2829885

Sad story. Turns out the so-called holistic healer may have been a fraud. One wonders why an 11 year old is allowed to make a decision about a deadly illness.

[afc wimbledon]

Because we are so frightened of being accused of repeating the same mistakes of the residential school era that we'd prefer to leave native kids with appallingly innapropriate parents, foster parents social workers etc.

[Clarkey]

I wish her and her family gave the treatment a chance.

[SebC]

This is 100% the expected outcome of the court decisions.

Clearly, the laws need to change.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

I remember when that story came out, and all I could think of was that she'll be dead in a year or so. What a horrible waste. Pure ignorance on the part of the family.

[Bagor]

So, she was given a 75% chance of survival on diagnosis which I presume factored in a full chemo treatment regime.

Both she and her parents asked for the chemo to be stopped.

Then we have this.

"There are times when parents' or guardians' wishes for treatment conflict with those of doctors," she said. "In these cases, we rely on the expertise of the local children's aid societies to investigate concerns and determine if intervention is needed." The children's aid society that handled Makayla's case, Brant Family and Children's Services, issued its own statement Tuesday.
"Makayla was a wonderful, loving child who eloquently exercised her indigenous rights as a First Nations person and those legal rights provided to her under Ontario's Health Care Consent Act," said executive director Andrew Koster. "The parents are a caring couple who loved their daughter deeply."

So my question is this. Would she have been allowed to stop treatment if she was not a native?
i.e. Is it likely that CAS would have overruled the parent's wishes on the grounds of saving a life? Did CAS not intervene here for fear of offending or infringing on her cultural rights?

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Bagor

So, she was given a 75% chance of survival on diagnosis which I presume factored in a full chemo treatment regime.

Both she and her parents asked for the chemo to be stopped.

Then we have this.


So my question is this. Would she have been allowed to stop treatment if she was not a native?
i.e. Is it likely that CAS would have overruled the parent's wishes on the grounds of saving a life? Did CAS not intervene here for fear of offending or infringing on her cultural rights?

Chances are if she'd been white she'd have been taken into care and been forced to have treatment, it's certainly what happens here if J' Witnesses kids need a transfusion.
The Six Nation Res where the dead lass is from ordered the CAS off their land in the spring and does not want them involved in their kids, which sounds fine until you get cases like these, also do not forget there's a ton of money and jobs in looking after kids in care, so forcing the province to hand over control is a really nice earner for the band council and some extra jobs they can hand out to their supporters.

[metallicat]

Yeah and they didn't even take her to a traditional aboriginal healing place, it was a compete quack that has no business treating people "medically". The guy should be brought up on murder charges.

[AcGold]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Yeah and they didn't even take her to a traditional aboriginal healing place, it was a compete quack that has no business treating people "medically". The guy should be brought up on murder charges.

Fraud seems more rational than murder.

[Nyah]

I remember a story a few months back where a couple of parents wanted to treat their infants cancer with hemp oil, and the father ended up losing custody. Why wouldn't the same rules apply here?

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by AcGold

Fraud seems more rational than murder.

Criminal negligence causing death?

[calgarygeologist]

I don't believe that treatment of any kind should be forced upon any one. Adults and parents should have the right to decided whether or not to undergo treatment, go elsewhere for treatment or to let nature takes it's course.

[Nyah]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I don't believe that treatment of any kind should be forced upon any one. Adults and parents should have the right to decided whether or not to undergo treatment, go elsewhere for treatment or to let nature takes it's course.

The sad part is that there is an overwhelming amount of BS 'science' & misinformation out there. If you're making the decision for yourself, then sure, it's up to you. But if your child has a highly treatable disease, that's generally deadly if left untreated, and you decide that you did enough Internet research to come to the conclusion that you can naturally treat your child with food & environment changes...I think there's a huge problem. It heads into the 'failing to provide the necessities of life' category.

[jar_e]

There was somewhat a similar incident out of Calgary in 2013.

http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/tamara-lov...-son-1.1557197

Following an eight month investigation into the death of a young boy in March of 2013, Calgary police have arrested and charged the boy’s mother.


44-year-old Tamara Sophia Lovett is facing charges of criminal negligence causing death and failing to provide the necessaries of life in connection to the death of her son, seven-year-old Ryan Lovett.


According to police, Ryan, who lived with his mother in an apartment suite in the 900 block of 17 Ave. S.W., contracted a strep infection in February of this year. Tamara is alleged to have provided her son with holistic remedies instead of seeking medical treatment for the infection.


Detectives believe Ryan was bedridden for 10 days before suffering a seizure. Emergency crews were called to the home on the morning of March 2, 2013 and the boy was transported to hospital by ambulance. Ryan Lockett was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the medical centre.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I don't believe that treatment of any kind should be forced upon any one. Adults and parents should have the right to decided whether or not to undergo treatment, go elsewhere for treatment or to let nature takes it's course.

I disagree, when it comes to minors. Minors/children/adult dependants often lack the mental ability to make decisions or to understand the possible outcome of the decisions they make.

Adults can do whatever the hell they want.

Many minors don't have good/proper parents. This story is a great example. If parents are making bad decisions for their child then I believe the state should step into protect the child. Obviously, it would be situations of an extreme nature.

If parents can't/won't protect their children then someone needs to.

[Ozy_Flame]

Holistic and "natural" remedies are so mind-boggingly irresponsible with serious infections and disease. I can't believe people try this route when trained doctors and professional treatments are available and almost certainly with a much higher success rate.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

Originally Posted by Bagor

So, she was given a 75% chance of survival on diagnosis which I presume factored in a full chemo treatment regime.

Both she and her parents asked for the chemo to be stopped.

Then we have this.


So my question is this. Would she have been allowed to stop treatment if she was not a native?
i.e. Is it likely that CAS would have overruled the parent's wishes on the grounds of saving a life? Did CAS not intervene here for fear of offending or infringing on her cultural rights?

I couldn't help think the same thing. More needed to be done to help that little girl survive. There seems to be plenty of blame to share.

[Stay Golden]

A caring parent will try anything to ease their child's pain and suffering battling a terminal disease. I certainly do not blame the parents for their decision, in such a tragic desperate situation to be faced with.
Really sad.

[Ducay]

Sad result, but even the Children's Aid society said taking the girl into custody to force her into the Chemo would be way worse on her than leaving her with her parents to try the alt. medicine.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Stay Golden

A caring parent will try anything to ease their child's pain and suffering battling a terminal disease. I certainly do not blame the parents for their decision such a tragic situation to be faced with.
Really sad.

I am sorry, I am torn on this topic.

I feel for them parents for their loss, but I disagree with you "not blaming the parents".

Stopping the normal course of treatment for alternative medicine is irresponsible and foolish.

I completely agree that this is a really sad, but on a different level.