Hundreds pay tribute to Jehovah teen who fought against blood
transfusions.
By LICIA CORBELLA, EDITOR
Do not mourn me for I'm not dead.
I lay asleep upon this bed
Awaiting the time when I'll arise
Living in beautiful paradise ...
I've done my best, fought till the end;
Now I'm waiting for 'round the bend'
I know I'll live in perfect peace
Where everlasting life won't cease.
No matter what, death do not fear
For paradise will soon draw near.
That poem was written by Bethany Hughes just days before her death on
Thursday, Sept. 5.
Despite her upbeat words, some 400 people did just that yesterday.
They gathered at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's
Witnesses on Fairmount Dr. - - which is visible from Lord
Beaverbrook, the high school she attended -- and mourned the loss of this
outgoing 17-year-old "freedom fighter," who became a hero around the world
for many others who share her beliefs.
Owing to a court order, Bethany came to be known in Calgary and
beyond as only "the Jehovah's Witness girl" or as Mia (short for the acute
myeloid leukemia that took her too early.) And yet, although her full name
and identity was not known for the almost seven months since her diagnosis
on Feb.13, this city -- indeed thousands around the world -- have taken an
interest in Bethany who "fought till the end."
What she fought AGAINST besides her dreaded disease, was court-mandated
blood transfusions. What she fought FOR was the right for "mature minors" to
make their own decisions about their own bodies and care.
"For me, my case is about rights," she told provincial court Judge
Gail Vickery, during a hearing held at Alberta's Children's Hospital in
July, in which she won the right to stop being forced to have transfusions,
which are against her religion.
"We live in this great country called Canada where you can say
whatever you want and can write down whatever you want and do whatever you
want," she said softly.
"We have a Charter of Rights and Freedoms ... but if you're under 18, you
don't have freedoms. "In a year, I'd be a citizen, but right now I'm not a
citizen. I'm almost 17 and I can't make a decision that a person one year
older than me can make and that upsets me."
The court battle started after Bethany's distraught father, Lawrence Hughes,
an architect engineer, disagreed with Bethany's decision to refuse
transfusions. Ironically, Lawrence admitted yesterday that on Feb.13, the
day Bethany was diagnosed with leukemia, he read passages from the Bible
about not "taking blood" in an effort to strengthen Bethany's resolve to
refuse blood transfusions. What happened instead was HIS views changed.
That change in interpretation of the scriptures has cost Lawrence Hughes
virtually everything. He says he has been shunned by his Jehovah's Witness
friends. His wife, Arliss, and his youngest daughter, Cassandra, 15, moved
out of the family's home the day he made his beliefs known, and his other
daughter, Aphalia, 22, barely speaks to him. His legal fees, he says, have
reached $180,000. But worst of all for him was the limited access he was
given to Bethany prior to her death.
As such, Lawrence did not attend his own daughter's funeral yesterday
"out of respect for Bethany" and the family, although he did follow the
police escort that closed down portions of Deerfoot Tr. for miles to
allow for the lengthy procession to make it's way to Queen's Park
Cemetery, where Bethany's body was laid to rest.
Church elder Merrill Morrell told the mourners that Bethany frequently
had nurses phone him while she was strapped to her bed to receive one of
the 38 blood transfusions she was forced to undergo.
"I said, 'I'd like to be there to hold your hand.' She said,'well,
it would have to be my left hand because Jehovah is holding my right hand.'
"
Morrell said between 6,000 to 7,000 cards were sent to Bethany from around
the world and "from every walk of life and religion," thanking her for her
courage.
Stan Hill, another JW elder, said Bethany struck all who knew or met her as
being an "intelligent and articulate young woman," who could read at age
four and remained a voracious reader her whole life. But mostly, they were
struck by her kindness, decency and "love for others."
At the graveside -- with its view of the city -- Bethany's parents shyly
approached one another and embraced for a long time. Shortly afterwards,
Bethany's body was buried. But her fight was not.
Court challenges continue before provincial court and the Supreme Court.
In other words, Bethany didn't just "fight till the end." She is
fighting beyond it.
~~~~~~~~~
pathetic.
