Terminally ill 13 year old wins the right to die

Anon

I hope they find an insurer so that they can get her to Florida. Heartbreaking.

A terminally ill teenager has won the right to die by refusing a heart transplant.

Leukaemia sufferer Hannah Jones, 13, from the UK, was taken to court by her hospital, which wanted to give her the transplant against her wishes.

The girl's parents say they were "outraged" when child protection officers from Hereford Hospital phoned to warn they were applying for a High Court order to forcibly remove their daughter, accusing the parents of "preventing treatment".

"It is outrageous that the people from the hospital could presume we didn't have our daughter's best interests at heart," Hannah's father, Andrew, was quoted by the UK's Telegraph as saying.

"Everything we do is geared towards her happiness."

High-strength drugs used to treat Hannah's rare form of leukaemia, diagnosed when she was five years old, had caused a hole in her heart. She stopped the treatment but the drugs left her heart so weak doctors say it could give up at any time.

Hannah remains adamant she does not want a heart transplant because there is a high risk she will not survive the procedure and, if she did, the leukaemia could return due to her weakened immune system.

"Hannah had been through enough already and to have the added stress of a possible court hearing or being forcibly taken into hospital is disgraceful," Mr Jones, 43, an auditor, said.

Hannah eventually convinced the High Court she was old enough to decide for herself whether she wanted a transplant.

"It is an incredible thing for a young person like her who has been through such a lot to have the presence of mind and bravery to stand up for her rights. We're so very proud of our little girl," Mr Jones was quoted by the Telegraph as saying.

Hospital authorities have now agreed to leave Hannah in peace to spend her remaining days with her father, mother, who is a nurse, and her three younger siblings.

The family is looking for an insurer so that Hannah can fulfil her dying wish to visit Walt Disney World in Florida.

bernmodi

Wow, what a sad story. I hope this brave girl and her family find peace and strength. They'll be in my prayers.

polaris

the sea inside is a great movie on this topic ... much better than million dollar baby imo ...

i hope these bureaucrats take a step back and do what's best for a girl who has suffered nearly all of her life

know1

There's a lot of gray area here and a slippery slope, IMO.

For example, how much pain and suffering will be considered too much to allow people to choose to not be treated?

And how young is too young to allow that decision?

polaris

Pj_Gurl wrote:

The family is looking for an insurer so that Hannah can fulfil her dying wish to visit Walt Disney World in Florida.

i'm hoping the make a wish foundation could help her out ...

urbanhippie

know1 wrote:

There's a lot of gray area here and a slippery slope, IMO.

For example, how much pain and suffering will be considered too much to allow people to choose to not be treated?

And how young is too young to allow that decision?

In the UK, Fraser competence states that any child deemed competent can consent themselves to medical treatment. However, I was lead to believe in my nurse training, that although they can GIVE consent to treatment, they can't actually REFUSE consent. Hence the court case.

I think she's an incredibly brave, astute and knowledgable girl. I hope she can live out the rest of her life with peace of mind.

saveuplife

It's sad that this little girl's issue is being used to advance a political agenda.

She'll be in my prayers.

godpt3

I lost a cousin to leukemia at the age of 16, because my aunt and uncle on that side of the family are very religious and believed in the power of "prayer" over the power of medicine. :(

catefrances

know1 wrote:

There's a lot of gray area here and a slippery slope, IMO.

For example, how much pain and suffering will be considered too much to allow people to choose to not be treated?

And how young is too young to allow that decision?

well theres really only one person who can answer that question. and its not some bureaucrat sitting on his cushy arse in an office somewhere whose greatest suffering is that he has to drink his coffee black cause theres no milk.

i see no slippery slope. if a person has a terminal illness and is in so much pain that they do not wish to continue living then that is their choice and it should be respected. i have absolutely no issue with euthanasia.

josevolution

that is so f'n sad i wish i could just send her the $$$$$$$ so she could at least get to see DYSNEY ....:( .

decides2dream

wow.
how tragic, and hard to say i am 'happy' for her, but i will say i am gladdened she got her wish. we too often are caught up in playing god, and so caught up in the issue of we CAN do more to save a life...but that alone should not be the full discussion. there most efinitely should be the moment when the patient gets to say if they do indeed, want to be 'saved'...or to follow nature's course for them. it should absolutely be their choice - even at 13! i hope she gets to disney world!

norm

catefrances wrote:

well theres really only one person who can answer that question. and its not some bureaucrat sitting on his cushy arse in an office somewhere whose greatest suffering is that he has to drink his coffee black cause theres no milk.

i see no slippery slope. if a person has a terminal illness and is in so much pain that they do not wish to continue living then that is their choice and it should be respected. i have absolutely no issue with euthanasia.

+1

know1

catefrances wrote:

well theres really only one person who can answer that question. and its not some bureaucrat sitting on his cushy arse in an office somewhere whose greatest suffering is that he has to drink his coffee black cause theres no milk.

i see no slippery slope. if a person has a terminal illness and is in so much pain that they do not wish to continue living then that is their choice and it should be respected. i have absolutely no issue with euthanasia.

You don't even see a slippery slope when it comes to the age of a patient? How young is too young to decide? 10 years old, 5, 2, ...?

Anon

know1 wrote:

There's a lot of gray area here and a slippery slope, IMO.

For example, how much pain and suffering will be considered too much to allow people to choose to not be treated?

And how young is too young to allow that decision?

You have to remember that she is not like any other 13 year old who has not a worry in the world apart from who is being mean to her on facebook this week.

She has been terminally ill since she was 5. She would be wise way beyond her years. No one who is not in her position has any right to tell her what she should or should not do.

urbanhippie

know1 wrote:

You don't even see a slippery slope when it comes to the age of a patient? How young is too young to decide? 10 years old, 5, 2, ...?

Competency of the patient is not judged by age, but by the ableness to make that decision.
I doubt that a 10 year old or younger would be judged as fully able to understand the issues, but it's not impossible. It would be judged on a case by case basis. For example a 13 year old may be judged as competent, but a 14 year old in the next bed may not be.

know1

Pj_Gurl wrote:

You have to remember that she is not like any other 13 year old who has not a worry in the world apart from who is being mean to her on facebook this week.

She has been terminally ill since she was 5. She would be wise way beyond her years. No one who is not in her position has any right to tell her what she should or should not do.

I'm not making a judgment about her at all.

I'm just saying it raises interesting questions about where you draw the line.

Anon

know1 wrote:

I'm not making a judgment about her at all.

I'm just saying it raises interesting questions about where you draw the line.

I just don't think there can be a general book of rules for these situations, each case is different. The other thing that i think a lot of people don't understand, is that a lot of kids that are terminally ill are not afraid to die.

catefrances

know1 wrote:

You don't even see a slippery slope when it comes to the age of a patient? How young is too young to decide? 10 years old, 5, 2, ...?

if the child understands the ramifications of choosing not to live with the constant pain of terminal illness and if they are competantly prepared for the eventuality of death by their parents and doctors and are compettant themselves, then they should be allowed to choose. a 2 year old choosing is a non issue. a 2 year olds parents have the choice.

decides2dream

catefrances wrote:

if the child understands the ramifications of choosing not to live with the constant pain of terminal illness and if they are competantly prepared for the eventuality of death by their parents and doctors and are compettant themselves, then they should be allowed to choose. a 2 year old choosing is a non issue. a 2 year olds parents have the choice.

agreed.

it amazes me how non-chalant we can be about life in certain instances...such as war....and yet when it comes to one actually making the CHOICE to live or die on their own terms, we try to regulate it so heavily.

DixieN

Granted, she was older, but when my friend's mom became terminally ill, she chose to die without intervention. At a certain point, enough's enough. You're going to die anyway; you might as well die the way you want to. I don't care if you're 13, 31 or whatever. In an effort to "save" you, sometimes all you get is tortured and then you die, too...in more agony than if nature had just been allowed to do its thing. When it's my turn, I also want to be able to say, "Leave me alone," if I become terminal. I have a lot of respect for this young woman and her family.

Anon

The terminally-ill teen who won the right to refuse a heart transplant will be able to live out her final wish of travelling to Disneyworld.

Leukaemia sufferer Hannah Jones, 13, from England thought her dreams of travelling to the Florida resort were shattered when efforts to get medical insurance for the trip were refused, the UK's Telegraph reports.

But an anonymous insurance company came to the rescue, providing cover for the big trip worth up to A$11.5 million.

"I am overwhelmed," Hannah was quoted by the Telegraph as saying.

"I absolutely love Disney and watch all of the films — to be able to go and see them is a dream come true."

In early December, Hannah will be one of 40 children who fly the Orlando resort along with a team of doctors and paramedics for the charity Cauldwell Children.

Hannah's plight was brought to worldwide attention last week when she was taken to the High Court by her hospital, which wanted to give her a heart transplant against her wishes.

High-strength drugs used to treat Hannah's rare form of leukaemia — diagnosed when she was five years old — had caused a hole in her heart. She stopped the treatment but the drugs left her heart so weak, doctors say it could give up at any time.

Hannah was adamant she did not want the heart transplant because there is a high risk she will not survive the procedure and, if she did, the leukaemia could return due to her weakened immune system.

She eventually convinced the High Court she was old enough to decide for herself whether she wanted a transplant.

Hospital authorities agreed to leave Hannah in peace to spend her remaining days with her father, mother and three younger siblings.

Commy

DixieN wrote:

Granted, she was older, but when my friend's mom became terminally ill, she chose to die without intervention. At a certain point, enough's enough. You're going to die anyway; you might as well die the way you want to. I don't care if you're 13, 31 or whatever. In an effort to "save" you, sometimes all you get is tortured and then you die, too...in more agony than if nature had just been allowed to do its thing. When it's my turn, I also want to be able to say, "Leave me alone," if I become terminal. I have a lot of respect for this young woman and her family.

yep. Chemo therapy is a hell of a thing.

ajedigecko

But an anonymous insurance company came to the rescue, providing cover for the big trip worth up to A$11.5 million.


11.5 million? wow!

Jeremy1012

know1 wrote:

There's a lot of gray area here and a slippery slope, IMO.

For example, how much pain and suffering will be considered too much to allow people to choose to not be treated?

And how young is too young to allow that decision?

Any child who would choose to die is clearly mature enough to make that decision. A child is not going to choose death if they don't understand it, it would be an unnatural reaction to the situation.

Very sad story but it sounds like she has been through enough to choose for herself what's to be done with her own body. I strongly believe every sane person has the right to do what they want with their body, even if they are a child, presuming their parents support them, it would be inhumane to force a tranplant on a person who has spent more than half her life suffering.