JWs nearly killed my mother

by cookiemaster 46 Replies latest jw experiences

  • cookiemaster
    cookiemaster
    The past week has been hell for me. My mother started feeling ill and we went to seek medical assistance. We live in the mountains and the nearest large hospital is about 150 kms away. They took her in for tests and I left for home, thinking that it probably wasn't anything too serious. It turns out she had an extremely severe anemia, with a hemoglobin level of 4.2.

    They transferred her to another hospital to receive emergency medical care. Clearly, the only effective treatment was having blood transfusions. Of course, she denied. I didn't even know that at the time. She didn't call me first but an elder who immediately took my father and went to the hospital to make her give a statement that she will refuse any blood transfusion. Eventually, I found out the next day. She said there are other alternatives available, like erythropoietin. The problem was the hospital didn't have any and procuring it and using it for treatment was expensive. I told her to take the transfusion. She refused.

    I told my father to talk to the elders to help us financially to procure any substance or treatment that would help her. I thought maybe the congregation could donate money for her. Three elders came to the house the next day and read us some bible verses stating that one should care for their family and told us that it's not their responsibility to help. They said the organization's policy is not to help those in need of medical assistance because that's the job of their family and that they're sure Jokehova will offer us some of his magic help from the sky.

    Of course, I was very pissed at these shitheads. Not only did they convince my mother to sign away her life, but now they wouldn't even help finding other ways to save her. I went to visit her at the hospital and told her all about it. A few hours later I got a call from her doctor. She said my mother was dying and that I should come to the hospital immediately. In a few minutes I was there. She was having severe tachycardia and the doctor said her heart was failing due to lack of blood. Her hemoglobin was now at 3.8 and kept falling. I told her to give her a transfusion. She said she isn't legally allowed to because of the previous written statement that she won't accept such treatment, and that she can't risk going to jail and being sued by the cult. I asked about erythropoietin. The doctor said it will take a lot of time to work, time which my mother doesn't have.

    I spent the following 4 hours next to my mother crying and begging her to choose life over death. My best friend and about 10 other doctors were there too. They all told her to not die for this stupid cult. She was afraid of what other JWs will think if she accepts a transfusion. She told me that she leaves the decision with me. But the doctors said that they're legally required to have a written statement from her saying that she changed her mind and will accept blood. I told her that her "brothers and sisters" have forsaken her and that this death cult will let her die. With desperate work of convincing, she eventually signed the statement.

    They gave her blood immediately. The next day she looked like a completely different person. She now had a hemoglobin of 8.2. The doctors say it's a miracle she didn't die with such a low level of hemoglobin that she had. Since then, she's been getting transfusions every day and has now returned to a normal level of hemoglobin. Investigations have shown that she has pernicious anemia, which can be easily treated and kept under control. The doctor say she'll be out of the hospital by next week.

    So this fuckin' cult almost killed my mother for nothing. I've never felt more disgusted and hateful toward this cult. The only thing I want when I see them is to spit in their faces. Many JWs have visited her and they all are disappointed she didn't die like a martyr. My JW father had a party at our house the day after he found out my mother was dying (no joke). Now that fucker is mighty disappointed too. Sorry for my language but I just despise them all. And you don't want to hear what the doctors think of the JW cult. They're have anger, contempt, disgust, everything of the worst kind of feelings for them. And well deserved. So this is the story of how my mother almost died from a freaking easily treatable anemia because of this shitty cult. Stay away people! Stay away! I will let every non-JW know what a death cult this is.
  • OneEyedJoe
    OneEyedJoe
    Wow. Congratulations on saving a life - that's a privilege that most won't get to experience, even if it was rather thankless in your case. Well done.
  • the girl next door
    the girl next door
    I am so sorry you had to experience this trauma, but also so proud of the stance you took and the fortitude you showed in helping your mother save her own life! She will need you now more than ever. You are right, it is an infuriating blood cult.
  • Giordano
    Giordano

    My JW father had a party at our house the day after he found out my mother was dying (no joke).

    I've never heard of such a thing!

    Well I hope your mother will be treated properly by her husband and live a long life.

    If you ask a JW if they approve of suicide they would be adamant that suicide is wrong for any reason and yet they walk around with a suicide note (the blood card) in their pocket.

    Thousand's have died because Freddy Franz and a couple of his associates decided their blood doctrine was just the thing to set them a part from other religions.

  • Phizzy
    Phizzy

    Yes, well done !

    JW's are incredibly ignorant about so much, but these life and death matters are ones they really should examine for themselves, not relying on the JW published rubbish, or on the say-so of other JW's.

    Erythropoietin takes many days to kick in and start raising the level of red blood cells, days your Mother did not have.

    Of course, JW's will not examine the whole question for themselves.

    Please ensure that no asshole Elder, or any other JW, gives your mum a hard time over this.

    You helped her to do the right thing, and saved her life.

  • FadeToBlack
    FadeToBlack
    When the elders start to get suspicious about this, she can just say it was probably due to all the prayers of her faithful brothers and sisters back at the congregation. What are they going to say? Good work, and remind her to keep quiet about it...
  • LisaRose
    LisaRose

    I am so glad you were able to convince her to take the transfusion. You are a good son.

    My ex husband had a hemoglobin of 3 and wouldn't take a transfusion either, even though he had been disfellowshipped for twenty years by then. Amazingly he did not die, but it took him a year to get better. I was still a JW then, I thought it was incredibly stupid.

    Cult brainwashing is hard to fight.

  • Crazyguy
    Crazyguy
    Show your mom to make her feel better Mark7:18 where Jesus says nothing eaten by a man can defile him. Also Matt 12:7 where Jesus says 'we desire mercy not sacrifice'
  • ShirleyW
    ShirleyW

    I was appointed my mother's legal guardian by the court because she was not able to make any decisions in her medical condition. Some sisters visited the day I said to give her blood that she needed. They saw the tube and after they left the called the Elder. Which called me , which I proceeded to curse out over the phone for the next 10 minutes telling him it's not his business.

    I guess he wasn't too mad at me because about six months later at her memorial service he and his wife were quite cordial and friendly to me, guess he learned his lesson that day over he phone.

  • FayeDunaway
    FayeDunaway

    They pressure you not to take blood because it's such a sacred symbol of LIFE yet they dont care a rat's ass about LIFE itself.

    Thank you for working so hard to keep your mom alive despite people working against you. What an incredibly harrowing experience.

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