Child with brain tumour taken from UK hospital by JW parents

by Fe2O3Girl 67 Replies latest jw friends

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  Teary Oberon

  Correct me if I am wrong, but to me it seems that the major catalyst behind all of this was the original doctor making direct threats against the parents like some kind of common thug.

  The parents were terrified of the prescribed after-treatment, and with good reason. The hospital wanted to pelt the boy with radiation that could very well have destroyed the rest of his brain and turned him into a permanent vegetable. What parent wouldn't be hesitant?

  But when the parents say "Hey, we don't want to go this route. Let us try this instead," and the doctor replies "No, your son WILL get this treatment and you will go along with it or else I will get the court to take away your custody," what are they really supposed to do as parents?

  The boy is on death's door anyways and his future standard of living looks grim no matter what. Ethically you allow the parents to try the alternatives that they want. But the doctor was stubborn, and because of his stubbornness he spooked the parents and caused them to flee (justifiably so I'd say).

  I also want to point out that the parents did not sneak the boy out of the facility. They took him on a pre-scheduled outing that was approved by the hospital. The hospital expected him to be back in a few hours, but the parents simply didn't come back at all.
• 

  rebel8

  That isn't much different to me. In hospitals we'd call both scenarios AWOL.
• 

  Band on the Run

  May ask you for support of your statement in the news reports? During my pain battle, I made a point of weeding out certain doctors. I was in my thirties. There was a major law firm behind me. Some doctors truly believe they are God. The good ones reveal doubts. They desperately wanted me to know the science. In America, if you have money, you can switch doctors easily. Insurance allowed for passes at that time.

  In New York, there would be a nurse or social worker with the doctor to smooth the way for the family. I would be wary of JW parents were I a doctor. If you think doctors aren't going to wonder even more about Witnesses after this case...We don't know if elders put in appearances. There are channels within a hospital. There are channels outside of a hospital. I've never had a terminal child so I don't know how I would act.

  We will probably never know what happened. The doctor could have been liable.
• 

  Gadget

  I'm wondering about the timeline, and what was going on whe nthe parents made their decision to take the child away.

  This wasn't a heat of the moment decision of a parent wanting the best for his child. He went online, researched what was needed, and bought the medical supplies he would need online to be able to go. This takes time, especially for delivery over the bank holiday weekend. This would put the timing of the families decision to go about the time of the operation, and the discussions with the Dr where he threatened to make him a ward of court to be around the time of the operation.

  Given that over a week after the operation the planned chemo and radiotherapy had not yet started, I would bet that the disagreement wasn't about a future treatment but the immediate dangers of operating without blood.

  Some things about it all don't add up to me. If it was so important to get the treatment, why did they not drive straight to the czech replublic after the ferry crossing? Obviously the parents would have had to go to Spain at some point to sign the papers for the house sale but this could have been done after the treatment was started. Looking at the map it actually seems a shorter journet to the Czech republic than to southern Spain. The eldest son has expressed the families shock that they were being looked for. They were found by someone spotting them rather than being able to track use of a credit/debit card, which must have needed a substantial cash withdrawl instead of the convenience of using plastic. The timing of leaving the hospital to catching the ferry mean that they must have left straight away, drove as fast as they could, and only just caught the ferry in time. That's not the actions of someone who doesn't think they'll be chased, that's the actions of someone trying to run before they're caught.
• 

  blondie

  http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-29026266#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

  Nick Clegg has called for brain tumour patient Ashya King's parents to be freed and reunited with their son.

  Brett and Naghemeh King are being held in custody in Madrid after removing Ashya from hospital in Southampton and travelling to Spain.

  There have been growing calls for their release after they spent another night away from the five-year-old.

  An internal inquiry into the case has begun at Southampton General Hospital, the BBC understands.

  The Home Office has been in contact Hampshire Constabulary to discuss their handling of the case, the Prime Minister's spokesman has confirmed.

  Home Secretary Theresa May also told the House of Commons she hoped MPs "will be reassured to know that I understand that the CPS are reviewing this issue as we speak". (continues)
• 

  likeabird

  I agree Gadget and Bemused. The idea of making a long car journey with a little boy who only had brain surgery ten days previously kept me awake last night. We're talking at least 20 hours not including breaks. On one hand the father says it is so he can sell his house there to release funds for the treatment, but quite honestly, a house doesn't sell overnight. On the other hand news reports say that the clinic in Czech is willing to give treatment first and sort out payment afterwards.

  In any case, that is all speculation. I do hope they can all be reunited soon and that the little boy can get the best treatment possible.
• 

  Heartofaboy

  Well... we can chew the fat & speculate as much as we want about Aysha's parents on this forum, however we haven't walked in their shoes over the past months leading up to these events.
• 

  SAHS

  This is certainly a very difficult and delicate situation, from many angles. I sure hope that this little boy, Ashya King, gets an effective treatment within the time he has. That, of course, is the important thing.

  Also, regardless of what the outcome may be in this case, perhaps, if nothing else, this situation which is now in the public eye will give all the more impetus for the governmental, scientific, and medical communities to work together to develop, refine, and expand the new proton beam therapy in the most timely manner possible. This new therapy seems to have promising potential in the near future to improve the care in treating perhaps many different types of cancer. Let’s hope! Any progress that can be made in understanding, treating, and, hopefully soon, eradicating this horrible disease is welcome news, to be sure.