I have no doubt that 11-year-old Makayla Sault was loved by her parents and extended family, and that they wanted to do the best they could to combat her life-threatening leukemia. We know that their healthcare decisions were influenced by their First Nations heritage and their Christian faith. They also saw how negative the effects of chemotherapy can be.
In an interview with CBC News, her mother said, “This was not a frivolous decision I made. Before I took her off chemo, I made sure that I had a comprehensive health-care plan that I was very confident that was going to achieve ridding cancer of her body before I left the hospital. This is not something I think may work, this is something I know will work.”
At the same time, doctors who were treating Makayla were convinced that she had a 75% chance of recovery with chemo and next to none if she chose traditional aboriginal healing methods and so-called alternative treatment. Last October an Ontario judge ruled that the family could refuse chemotherapy in favour of these alternatives. Yesterday Makayla died, after suffering a stroke on Sunday.
I was heartsick when I heard the news this morning. The family suggests that it was the chemo she had already experienced which caused the stroke but there is nothing to suggest that this is the case. The clinic they were attending in Florida is not licenced as a medical institution and former staff members had raised concerns that they were practicing medicine without a licence.
Makayla had a vision of Jesus while in hospital, telling her to stop chemo. Her family issued a statement saying that she is now "safe in the arms of Jesus." I hope and pray that she is now within Christ's loving embrace for eternity, but I would rather she was still alive, experiencing the life God intended for her here on Earth. I'm not convinced that Makayla's best interests were served by Children's Aid or the judicial system. They exist to protect vulnerable children, even when they are loved by those whose judgment might be clouded by the stresses of illness and wishful thinking.
What are your thoughts on this? Did society fail Makayla? Was the decision last fall the correct one?
Certainly we offer condolences to her family.
4 comments:
This is a really tough discussion ... I think I would have preferred that the girl had received the chemo and been offered the 75% chance ... but given the stories I have heard about chemo, I can see why her parents wanted her off that regime (which might not have worked, as easily as a positive result could have ensued) to try the traditional medicine - and I am quite sure she IS safe in the arms of a loving God who created her and cared about her ... in the days before chemo and modern medicine, she would have had NO hope at all for cure ... and no drugs to ease the pain ... I have no answers for this dilemma..
It is so sad and difficult. Your comments reinforce the conundrum Judy. We all wish Makayla had enjoyed more of what life has to offer.
Yes, and I gave up, long ago, trying to get answers to the many why questions re unfairness in life...
I do believe the court made the wrong decision, and while I'm sure the parents loved their daughter, I do have some anger towards them too. They are responsible for the well-being of their daughter, and when the doctors are telling you there is a 75% chance of survival, then you do it!
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