Calgary girl ... struggle for life (help!)

Simon

Email received from Lawrence Hughes, the father of the Girl who is desparately ill from lukemia and has been involved in the recent court case with the Watchtower...

Simon ,
My daughters health has improved because of the last chemo treatments. All of her counts are up. But this will only last for a few weeks. Because the cancer has come back it means the cancer cells have become resistant to the chemo drugs. To try other chemo drugs is an option but without the use of blood transfusions it would most likely kill her. I am presently trying to locate a reputable clinic that uses natural medicine. This may be a better way to go because it will only kill the cancer cells and not my daughter. No matter what we do, her chances are not good. I have to keep trying to keep her alive and find a cure. There is a clinic in California and the treatment costs $8,000.00 per week. I have set up a trust fund to help pay for my daughters treatments. Any monies left over would be donated to the Alberta Childrens Hospital. Would you be willing to post it on your
web site ? Cheques to be made out to " SAVE MIA" Mail to: MIA Box 20161 Calgary Place R.P.O. Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 4J2

hawkaw

God this is all way to awful,

Larry's legal Bill is around 200,000 dollars and he has a trust fund for that. Now he has set up another trust fund for another type of treatment.

We were told by reputable doctors that these other treatments don't work. That is why Larry wanted to keep his daughter in Calgary under a court order.

The other day MIA was in a newspaper touting how because she is not taking blood any more that her blood count has gotten better. Yet here Larry lays it out and explains that it is the actual chemo treatments with the blood transfusions that has made her better.

I was also led to believe, at least in Ontario (and I believe Alberta is the same) that our Government paid insurance plan covers out of Province/Country treatments as long as the plan approves it. Has Larry tried this or not? I would need to know this before I start donating.

This whole situation is so sad. I guess I should give him a call and see what is up.

hawk

RunningMan

It is indeed a terrible situation. I, too, heard on the radio over the weekend, that the girl is improving, now that the transfusions have stopped. It was obviously an attempt by the WBTS to imply that the transfusions were causing her illness, and if they had been stopped sooner, she would be OK. Damn ghouls.

I admire and understand Lawrence's drive to keep her alive. We would all do the same, never giving up.

My impression, though, is that it is just a matter of time.

BeautifulGarbage

Thanks for posting that, Simon.

I'm sorry to hear that Mia's condition is worsening. I'm not very confident in the treatment he is seeking for her, but if I were in his position, I most likely would be doing the same thing. Who knows? Stranger things have happened.

The ignorance abounds in the JW community when it comes to blood transfusions. Especially, in relation to the treatment of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. The following quotes I gleaned from JWZone.org and the thread they have regarding this matter.

They practically kill her with 38 blood transfusions

WHAT is killing her is her bone marrow and it's inability to produce healthy white blood cells. Similar to AIDS, because her immune system is so compromised, opportunistic infections and diseases are what usually what prove to be fatal.

38 forced BTs and she's almost dead, so, the way I understand it, those 38 BTs didn't help her too much, huh? Now that she's off them, her health is improving, so why not keep it going?

It is true some children do not survive even with chemotherapy and blood transfusions. However, Mia most likely would have only had a few weeks, instead of months, to live had she not been treated that way that she had.

I kept thinking that with all those blood transfusions that poor sister has had to endure already, it's a wonder they haven't killed her before. As much as I hate to say it, the BEST thing that could happen to her is a quick death at her home with her loved ones. She would go to sleep being surrounded by those she loves and who love her, and it would add more evidence to the fact that the transfusions did NOT help her, though the pro-blooders will probably figure her condition was just too bad and they just waited too long to be helpful

Again, not understanding the how, and why, blood transfusions are necessary for treatment. They miss the point.

I'm sure that if any of our opposers out there reading this had their freedom to choose taken away, they would fight too.

The irony of a loyal JW talking about freedom of choice. Problem is, all the information she had was provided by the WTS. Outside information can be considered, just as long it falls in line with WTS publications and doctrines. There is no freedom AND there is ONLY one choice.

And last, but not LEAST, THIS Dub has made a new medical discovery! Skin cancer can be caught via blood transfusions! Gee, I wonder if it was the platelets, or the RBCs. This musing is PURE genious, I'm tellin ya!

let's see...the facts are...38+ - blood transfusions = turn for the worse and rare form of skin cancer (naah, couldn't have been the blood!)
no blood transfusions = improvement?
amazing that there are people who still refuse to make the connection...

What more can be said?

Andee

waiting

A pitiful situation all around. Why is it that "the pro-blooders" (how Dark Ages sounding, btw) wish the girl to live.......and the jw's are encouraging her to die, smug with the idea that the blood transfusions caused her tremendous problems, even skin cancer.

It seems this girl has become a symbol of death to the jw's instead of a human being. Great points, Andee. Thanks (and glad your picture is back).

And what dipsh*t coined the antiquated term "pro-blooders"? Oh, a faithful jw. lol.

waiting

untrusting

why are we debating this childs situation im a mother of four and hope i am never in the situation this family are. brought up as a witness i left after being abused became an alcholic and suisidal nut. got baptised kicked out reinstated the doctorines go so deep from child hood dont dis the family the love they have is undouting but the fears of what you learn true or not remain forever. i wish this family the best would not and hope not im never where they are now.

Mary

Sorry, I don't know that much about Lukemia; does it attack the red or white blood cells? Can't she get a bone marrow transplant? Would this help her body to produce the necessary blood? And what about those machines that they put your blood throught to purify it (is that dialasis?)......has this been tried?

".....I was also led to believe, at least in Ontario (and I believe Alberta is the same) that our Government paid insurance plan covers out of Province/Country treatments as long as the plan approves it. Has Larry tried this or not? I would need to know this before I start donating....."

I doubt whether OHIP or Alberta Health Care would pay for it........they might pay for some, but it's hard to say. Sometimes, if a treatment isn't available in Canada, they will pay for you to go to the States, but Larry would have to look into this IMMEDIATELY. If he has extended health benefits through his work, that would be another opening for him. He would have to contact the Insurance company, explain the situation to them to see if they would pay for it. Some will, some won't. Seeing as it's such a high profile case, they just might.

Kismet

Why not get the mother to petition her all loving religious leaders to have them pay for the treatments. Afterall they essentially bankrupted teh family fighting this in Court to allow the girl to seek other treatments.

One would think they would gladly pay to keep their new poster child alive... but then again we are talking about The Governing Body and the Canadian (tightwads) Branch Committee.

I guess we won't see that happening.

Kismet - reminded why the anger is so strong against these self proclaimed "God's Chosen People"

concerned mama

It is my understanding that the provincial health care system will only pay for out of province treatment if the clinical trials show it to be effective. In other words, they aren't going to pay for unproven or unsafe therapy. As far as cancer treatment goes, much of it is pretty experimental, and they have paid for it if the research makes sense and looks promising. Also, if it is available here in Alberta, they won't pay for you to go elsewhere. We do have excellent facilities for treatment of cancer in Calgary and Edmonton..

BG explained it very well. Unfortunately, most of the herbal therapies haven't performed well in careful double blind clinical trials.

Once traditional therapy has nothing left to offer, patients or their parents often look to alternative medicine for that last hope. I don't blame them, I would try anything to save the life of my children.

Edited by - concerned mama on 16 July 2002 21:13:13

Mimilly

This breaks my heart, and sickens me at the same time. The lack of intelligence noted on the pro-JW board makes me want to stick my arm through the monitor and slap some sense into those people.

I fear this is only part 1 of the suffering for this fine father. I cannot imagine the stress he is feeling, or the pain and anger. If only the daughter could realize this before she dies. The WTS will make a martyr out of her. Lies and gossip will abound.

I hope one day that the mother involved will be ashamed of what she's done. I sincerely hope there is a support system set up for the father. This is a textbook case of how the JooHoos tear families apart.

This is entirely too sad. Heart-breakingly sad.

Mimilly

Calgary girl ... struggle for life (help!)

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