Brett King (Jehovah's Witness) Releases Video of why he removed his ill son, Ashya, from a UK hospital

by jwleaks 87 Replies latest jw friends

  • yadda yadda 2
    yadda yadda 2

    So very sad and tragic. Desperate parents trying desperate measures for their little boy's life.

    His Youtube plea is so heartfelt, and who is to say whether he may not be partially right. The UK medical authorities and the doctors in question will be scrambling embarrassingly over this if it turns out that there is real merit in Proton beam treatment but that the UK hospitals are just behind the times on this and draconian.

    So ironic though that he says they did what they did because the hospital was, allegedly, threatening to bar them from the ward. He refers to the fear and stress of being under such a 'cruel' and unquestioning system, that they couldn't stay under it and had to get out to give their son the love he needed in his darkest hour of need. Most JW's cannot see the awful irony in this, in the parallels to the JW's merciless and cruel disfellowshipping and shunning policy of family who question and conscientiously dissent from certain teachings of JW's, that prevents children from being with parents and vice versa, etc.

    I can't help but wonder if the distrust and lack of respect re blood transfusions that the Watchtower Society has cultivated in the minds of JW's has somehow rubbed off on these parents attitude in not trusting the UK medical authorities on the best treatment for their son.

    And why havn't these parents used this as an opportunity to preach about the Bible's resurrection hope? Didn't Paul say in scripture that Christians do not grieve as the rest do because of the resurrection hope? Yet these JW parents are acting more desperately than any worldly parents usually would.

    After all, if their boy needed an emergency life-saving blood transfusion to cure his brain tumour, wouldn't they refuse to consent to that in the belief they will see him again soon in the resurrection?

  • konceptual99
    konceptual99

    That yadda yadda, is the irony of this situation.

  • krejames
    krejames

    How patronising, judgemental and biased we can be eh? That's ironic too. At risk of repetition:

    The UK is investing £250m in two proton therapy centres one in London and one in Manchester but they're not expected to be available until 2018. child brain tumours and rare adult cancers are seen as the main issues to benefit from this therapy. I personally can't criticise this father for trying to do the best for his son And I don't think it was foolhardy at all. None of us can imagine what it is like in his place right now.

    source : cancer research Ukhttp://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2013/09/16/proton-therapy-is-coming-to-the-uk-but-what-does-it-mean-for-patients/

  • konceptual99
    konceptual99

    Completely agree krejames.

  • wizzstick
    wizzstick

    So very sad and tragic. Desperate parents trying desperate measures for their little boy's life.

    Well that was a nice comment to start off with...

    His Youtube plea is so heartfelt, and who is to say whether he may not be partially right. The UK medical authorities and the doctors in question will be scrambling embarrassingly over this if it turns out that there is real merit in Proton beam treatment but that the UK hospitals are just behind the times on this and draconian.

    So ironic though that he says they did what they did because the hospital was, allegedly, threatening to bar them from the ward. He refers to the fear and stress of being under such a 'cruel' and unquestioning system, that they couldn't stay under it and had to get out to give their son the love he needed in his darkest hour of need. Most JW's cannot see the awful irony in this, in the parallels to the JW's merciless and cruel disfellowshipping and shunning policy of family who question and conscientiously dissent from certain teachings of JW's, that prevents children from being with parents and vice versa, etc.

    I can't help but wonder if the distrust and lack of respect re blood transfusions that the Watchtower Society has cultivated in the minds of JW's has somehow rubbed off on these parents attitude in not trusting the UK medical authorities on the best treatment for their son.

    I have to strongly disagree. We are in the UK and took to son last year to hospital as his wrist was sore. He was carefully examined by a pediatrician and we were told it was growing pains and we could go home. I could see my wife didn't agree so we requested a second opinion.

    Only after the second opinion did we find out that he had an infection in his wrist bone, which required an immediate operation to drain the infection from the bone or else his hand would not have grown any more.

    Post op they had trouble finding a vein in his foot for the antibiotic feed. Over and over again I held him screaming as they repeatedly stuck the needle in. Eventually I demanded an alternative. I quoted a famous quote "The definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". So they gave us oral antibiotics (takes longer) and guess what, he was home that day and is now fine.

    But had we taken that first pediatrician's steer we would now have a child with a withered hand.

    During the whole time in hopsital (and with both my childrens births) I was up and down corridors chasing for Doctors and nurses. I love the NHS, it is a marvellous instution, but the staff are incredibly overworked and mistakes do take place. And be under no illusion that money plays a part is what treatments they prescribe.

    And why havn't these parents used this as an opportunity to preach about the Bible's resurrection hope? Didn't Paul say in scripture that Christians do not grieve as the rest do because of the resurrection hope? Yet these JW parents are acting more desperately than any worldly parents usually would.

    After all, if their boy needed an emergency life-saving blood transfusion to cure his brain tumour, wouldn't they refuse to consent to that in the belief they will see him again soon in the resurrection?

    Incredibly insensitive comment at this time.

    The WT are heartless bastards, with screwed up beliefs, but let's not stoop to their shitty levels. We don't know what treatments that the family would be prepared to accept. In the UK JW kids will immediately get made a ward of court and get blood, so the Hopsital Liason Commitee's advice is to accept the blood. So this just isn't an issue over here. I know this from a HLC member's converstaion with me during the above stay in hopsital.

    But the video clearly shows a family looking for treatment, not wanting for their child to die. So comments about preaching about their resurrection hope is utterley inappropriate.

  • disposable hero of hypocrisy
  • yadda yadda 2
    yadda yadda 2

    I was not intending to be insensitive and apologise if that's how it came across. I was trying to show how this sad situation stands in stark contrast to the Watchtower Society's and some elders smug and insensitive comments involving blood transfusions and children. They are on record as telling JW parents in life or death situations involving emergency blood transfusions that they can take comfort in the 'resurrection hope'. JW parents who refused consent to a blood transfusion resulting in the death of their child have made such comments to the media to partially justify their decision.

  • Fernando
    Fernando

    I feel inclined to believe the father and his sincere plea, much as I despise the apostate religious organisation he belongs to.

    In the face of conflicting and arrogant medical opinion, threats and coercion, the parents' normal right, to seek out what they believe is the best medical treatment, should be even more paramount.

    Again this appears to have nothing to do with the Watchtower's ludicrous, convoluted and ever changing blood doctrine.

    Give the family a break, at the very least.

    Even better, what about some support?

  • cofty
    cofty

    There is some confusing information around this case.

    The dad says the tumour was removed completely 7 days ago by surgery. It sounds as if the doctors want to administer adjunctive chemo and radiotherapy to destroy any residual cancer cells. This is best practice.

    The dad had read up on the potential side-effects of radio and chemo and is afraid for his son's future. The doctors will be very aware of the balance of risks and benefits.

    Refusing adjunctive chemo increases the chance the tumour will return. It maybe that the conversations were reaching an impasse and the doctors were raising the possibility of seeking a ward of court order. If that happend the parents would not be banned from the ward. In the past as an elder I have supported JW parents whose son was under a care order in hospital. Their ongoing involvement in the care of their son would be encouraged. They would only be kept away if a judge was convinced they intended to physically interfere in treatment.

    Fom what I have read of proton beam therapy it is potentially effective at targeting a tumour with less damage to surrounding tissue. I am certain the doctors are right when they told him it is unsuitable for adjunctive treatment where the target is a wider area arond the tumour site.

    In the UK parents are very inviolved in the decison-making process. Often you do need to insist on second opinions and question doctor's advice. However parents do not ultimately have the right to refuse life-saving treatment for their children. That would rest with a judge, whose only concern is the welfare of the child.

  • tornapart
    tornapart

    All I can say is that my heart goes out to those parents and I truly hope they find the right treatment for their little boy and that there can be true cooperation between them and the medical people. They just seem like a loving, caring family trying to do the best for their child. Doctors don't always know what's best, even if they think they do.

    I've had my own issues with the medical profession, did my own research. Found an alternative treatment fortunately still on the NHS. They tried to talk me out of it but I went ahead and went to another county for the treatment. It was highly successful and meant I didn't end up having needless surgery.

    If this family want to fund private treatment in another country for their son then why shouldn't they be allowed to do so?

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