Mito-Malpractice!

Mitochondrial disease is real!

Not only is it real, it is acknowledged as a legitimate medical condition by the CDC (Center for Disease Control), the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic, the National Institute of Health, and...wait for it...Boston Children's Hospital.

That last entity is specifically highlighted on the list because it was at the center of the Justina Pelletier case, which I have mentioned in an earlier blog entry.

At the heart of the Justina Pelletier case is a relatively new category of abuse invented by CPS - medical child abuse. Medical child abuse is described as being when "a child receives unnecessary and harmful or potentially harmful medical treatment at the hands of a parent or caregiver".

Although Boston Children's Hospital has a mitochondrial disease treatment center, Justina didn't enter through that branch - she was brought in through the Emergency Room. An ER doctor diagnosed her with a psychological disorder and removed her from all her medications for mitochondrial disease, and when the parents objected, CPS was called in and the parents were charged.

Ironically, it was the actions of CPS in concert with the hospital staff - who never consulted with Justina's specialist or even their own mitochondrial treatment center - that harmed Justina.

Although mitochondrial disease is genetic and at this point in time cannot be "cured", the progressive nature of the disease in damaging almost all body systems can be slowed, or even stopped, for periods of time. But doing so relies on a "mitococktail", a combination composed primarily of dietary supplements that has usually been tailored to match the specific symptoms that have been evidenced by a patient.

Because a mitococktail can be purchased over the counter, most insurances do not cover the costs, and so CPS had an "in" to claim that this was an "unnecessary or potentially harmful treatment".  (To support the coverage of mitococktails by insurance, please sign a petition by clicking HERE.)

However, removing Justina from all her treatments not only didn't "cure her", she ended up returning to the custody of her parents with her condition being much further advanced as a result.

Wait, hold on a minute...under the CPS definitions, isn't it "medical neglect" when a parent or a caregiver fails to give medical treatment which a child needs? Therefore, since Justina was diagnosed with a legitimately recognized medical condition, CPS themselves are guilty of medical neglect by actively participating in denying her necessary medical treatment.

Although the Pelletiers regained custody of their daughter after more than a year, both Massachusetts and Connecticut now have "founded" or "substantiated" reports on them in the permanent files. This means that if there is even a hint of a problem in the future, once again they will be hauled through the travesty of a system that falsely charges parents for the offenses that they themselves are committing.

By definition, malpractice is improper, illegal, or negligent professional activity or treatment, especially by a medical practitioner, lawyer, or public official. And the actions of CPS in persecuting parents who are battling mitochondrial disease definitely qualify as malpractice. 

It is time to speak out, stand up, and overturn a corrupt, self-serving system!

Let's Play Doctor!

As a result of this two-year journey, I've heard a lot of stories and "met" quite a few individuals who have stories about CPS.

One of the most recent and troubling trends has been CPS involvement in what is known as medical kidnapping.

A well-known recent case is that of Justina Pelletier, a Connecticut teenager who spent almost two years in the Massachusetts CPS system, deprived of contact with her parents. Justina was seized by a Boston Hospital when their staff ER doctor decided to overrule the diagnosis of her specialist. He recruited CPS and turned Justina into a medical experiment that went wrong - for Justina, her parents, and her family.

Because Justina's parents spoke out and tried to regain their child wrongfully removed, they began to be persecuted by CPS. First their contact with their daughter was severely limited, and then it was completely severed. The Pelletier's were even issued a gag order - a violation of Freedom of Speech as guaranteed in the United States Constitution.

At the time she went into the ER at Boston Children's - ostensibly to meet with her long-time specialist, Justina was a figure skating, soccer playing, ambulatory teenager. When she emerged she was confined to a wheelchair with extremely deteriorated mobility. Why? An ER doctor, without interviewing her or checking her medical records or calling in her specialist, decided that all her conditions were psychological in nature and took her off all medications.

If any of us were to deprive our child of medications for a DIAGNOSED medical condition, our child would be seized by CPS on the grounds of medical neglect or medical maltreatment. Yet when CPS did the exact thing that would get a normal parent scrutinized and demonized, they did so with impunity - and the blessing of the Family Court judge assigned to the case.

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A newer case is that of Cassandra C., a 17 year old diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The teen read up on all the treatment protocol pros and cons, and made an informed decision to NOT receive chemotherapy, as the cure could be worse than the disease with its physical side effects. Cassandra's mother backed her choices, but then DCF (a variation on CPS) entered the scene.

After initially securing a court order forcing the teen and her mother to comply, Cassandra ran away to avoid being forced to endure a medical procedure she didn't want. At that point, DCF and a judge ordered her confined to the hospital and cut off all contact with her mother.

At this point in time, even though she is in remission, Cassandra is not being allowed to visitation with her mother, despite a break in her treatments. At a time when she is suffering from a serious disease and most needs the support of her family, she has been cut off from all contact.

Yet DCF is the same entity that advocates that children as young as 12 are able to make their own decisions regarding birth control and healthcare, without their parents' knowledge or consent, has arbitrarily decided that a 17 year old is unable to make an informed choice to refuse treatments that are debilitating and potentially have long-lasting side effects.

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A third case is that of Angela Borths, whose children were seized because one of her children was "too short". Apparently, in the eyes of CPS, all children must fit a Stepford mold, and there is no room for differences based on biology or genetics. You can learn more directly from Angela herself (on FB, and @PureMadAngel on Twitter).

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In our case, at the time that CPS seized Ruby and put her into foster care, she was in the process of being removed from several asthma medications by the orders of the allergist who had prescribed them and done an evaluation on her. Yet CPS refused to consult with the allergist regarding his course of treatment, and kept her on medications for a condition which she does not have. (Her asthma symptoms were due to her use of Tramadol - stolen from Jon Massey - in conjunction with Vyvanse - her ADHD meds, and she did not have asthma.)

In terms of the ADHD meds (amphetamines), Ruby did not have a formal diagnosis of ADHD. When I requested that she be taken off the meds, CPS tried to charge me with medical neglect.  I actually have an audio recording of the CPS caseworker admitting that he had no clue that ADHD medications are amphetamines. Although we cleared up that charge in court, CPS continued her on amphetiamine-based medication for over a year - without getting a diagnosis. Additonally, when CPS finally did secure a diagnosis of ADHD, it was not according to diagnostic protocol which requires that you take a child off the meds before diagnosing and secure reports from multiple sources that rate the child on a variety of behaviors and characteristics.

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What all of these instances reveal is that CPS has become a system out of control. They have decided that they are the ultimate arbiter of what is acceptable parenting, and what is not allowed. These decisions made by CPS are often violations of Constitutional Rights, and state laws.

Ultimately, CPS has decided that it is now qualified to make medical decisions for children against the wishes of their parents and families, and they will use techniques that effectively incarcerate children and isolate them from their parents and families if they deem it necessary. Essentially, CPS has decided that they are medical professionals - which is normally a criminal offense. Apparently the immunity of caseworkers extends to making decisions they have no education, training, or credentials to support.

It is time to speak out against the nanny state of CPS and its wholesale kidnapping of children on fraudulent medical charges. It is not until we as a society take a stand and change things that we will get any justice and resolution. Physician, heal thyself!