Family battling Children’s Hospital to bring teen home for Christmas #2

[sweetmom]

A Massachusetts juvenile court judge has returned custody of Connecticut teenager Justina Pelletier to her parents, effective Wednesday, according to the judge’s ruling obtained by the Globe.

“I find that the parties have shown by credible evidence that circumstances have changed since the adjudication on Dec. 20, 2013, that Justina is a child in need of care and protection pursuant to G.L. c. 199, 24-26.,” Judge Joseph Johnston wrote in the ruling. “Effective Wednesday, June 18, 2014, this care and protection petition is dismissed and custody of Justina is returned to her parents, Lou and Linda Pelletier.”

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/20...-parents/mDWtuGURNawSuObO0pDX4J/comments.html

Let's hope Justina does well at home and that no lawsuits are filed. (I am such an optimist!)

If this thread closes now, or soon, let me say how much I have enjoyed the back and forth of comments from all of you, especially annahanna, donjeta, morag, K_Z and Linda7NJ.

 

[i.b.nora]

As per Justina's miracle page, "Justina is coming home tomorrow!"

That's good news! He had to carry her into the house on Sunday. Until they do some retrofits, she will possibly be confined to the house at least as far as getting in, out, and around on her own.

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

A Massachusetts juvenile court judge has returned custody of Connecticut teenager Justina Pelletier to her parents, effective Wednesday, according to the judge’s ruling obtained by the Globe.

“I find that the parties have shown by credible evidence that circumstances have changed since the adjudication on Dec. 20, 2013, that Justina is a child in need of care and protection pursuant to G.L. c. 199, 24-26.,” Judge Joseph Johnston wrote in the ruling. “Effective Wednesday, June 18, 2014, this care and protection petition is dismissed and custody of Justina is returned to her parents, Lou and Linda Pelletier.”

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/20...-parents/mDWtuGURNawSuObO0pDX4J/comments.html

Let's hope Justina does well at home and that no lawsuits are filed. (I am such an optimist!)

If this thread closes now, or soon, let me say how much I have enjoyed the back and forth of comments from all of you, especially annahanna, donjeta, morag, K_Z and Linda7NJ.

Thank Goodness!!

 

[believe09]

Finally. Buckle up BCH and DCF-I bet their offers are already on the table.

 

[SwampMama]

Thank Goodness she is home. May her healing begin because she has been thru hell.

 

[annahanna]

A Massachusetts juvenile court judge has returned custody of Connecticut teenager Justina Pelletier to her parents, effective Wednesday, according to the judge’s ruling obtained by the Globe.

“I find that the parties have shown by credible evidence that circumstances have changed since the adjudication on Dec. 20, 2013, that Justina is a child in need of care and protection pursuant to G.L. c. 199, 24-26.,” Judge Joseph Johnston wrote in the ruling. “Effective Wednesday, June 18, 2014, this care and protection petition is dismissed and custody of Justina is returned to her parents, Lou and Linda Pelletier.”

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/20...-parents/mDWtuGURNawSuObO0pDX4J/comments.html

Let's hope Justina does well at home and that no lawsuits are filed. (I am such an optimist!)

If this thread closes now, or soon, let me say how much I have enjoyed the back and forth of comments from all of you, especially annahanna, donjeta, morag, K_Z and Linda7NJ.

I hope that this is the best thing for Justina's health and well being.

I am quite certain that the family will at least attempt to file lawsuits. It is difficult - though not impossible - for a lawsuit to go foreword against a government agency for doing its job. It is not possible in MA to sue a mandated reporter for reporting suspected abuse. They could of course allege malpractice, but that would require that they prove that Justina is worse off today then she was on February 10. 2010 due to action or inaction on the part of the hospital or an individual at the hospital. I realize that there are people who believe that she is worse off, but since her medical records have not been released to the public, and her parents have repeatedly stated that she has an in curable degenerative disease, that is not something that the public could possibly know at this point.

And sweetmom, I have enjoyed the conversation too!

 

[Elley Mae]

Finally!

 

[sweetmom]

Oh no, here we go:

http://www.courant.com/news/connect...ier-coming-home-0618-20140617,0,5384062.story

Pelletier said Justina has "no feeling at all below her hips" and is confined to a wheelchair.

Pelletier said he plans to pursue legal and legislative action against the Massachusetts officials who took custody of Justina.

"This is just the beginning," Pelletier said.

"There's going to be a Justina law," because hospitals are "taking kids, using DCF to be their little wing man," Pelletier said. "I'm going to be the guy that's going to change that."

 

[Linda7NJ]

Oh no, here we go:



http://www.courant.com/news/connect...ier-coming-home-0618-20140617,0,5384062.story



Pelletier said Justina has "no feeling at all below her hips" and is confined to a wheelchair.



Pelletier said he plans to pursue legal and legislative action against the Massachusetts officials who took custody of Justina.



"This is just the beginning," Pelletier said.



"There's going to be a Justina law," because hospitals are "taking kids, using DCF to be their little wing man," Pelletier said. "I'm going to be the guy that's going to change that."

I can't believe anyone really thought it was over...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jackalyn]

I am glad Justin's is going home. I think we will know now if there was any justification for her treatment by how well she fares at home. I can well believe mistakes were made as one of my own kids was pretty sick and they wanted to dismiss it. It was glandular fever NOT adolescence and would have been proved by a blood test. I did make a complaint. I think we cannot blame the parents for wanting to take the issue further. I certainly would if it was my child.

 

[AnaTeresa]

I am glad Justin's is going home. I think we will know now if there was any justification for her treatment by how well she fares at home. I can well believe mistakes were made as one of my own kids was pretty sick and they wanted to dismiss it. It was glandular fever NOT adolescence and would have been proved by a blood test. I did make a complaint. I think we cannot blame the parents for wanting to take the issue further. I certainly would if it was my child.

I think it depends. I can certainly see how some conditions require visits to many doctors by parents desperate for answers, and thus looking like doctor shopping. I can see how frustrated parents can become, trying to advocate for their sick child.

But I've also seen some of Lou's crazy statements throughout this case. Unless and until we see the full medical records, I don't think we really can say whether the parents were to blame or DCF, or if this was just a terrible situation that snowballed and neither party wanted to budge.

 

[Donjeta]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ier-leaves-state-custody-16-month-battle.html

Wheelchair-bound Justina spoke briefly outside the Thompson, Connecticut, residential unit she had been living in for the past month just after 10am.
As her mother Linda loaded up the car with her belongings, Justina said she couldn’t wait to get home to see her friends, play with her beloved dogs, soak in the swimming pool and enjoy lazy mornings lolling around in bed.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...te-custody-16-month-battle.html#ixzz350lZMZMt
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Incidentally, there's a good picture of her hairline, undated but reportedly before going to BCH, according to the caption.

 

[CHICANA]

What makes you think they did not talk to her "regular" doc?

If they talked to him, it doesn't seem like they listened.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/20...l-uncertain/Y7qvYTGsq8QklkxUZvuUgP/story.html

Children’s and the state had ignored Korson’s requests to be included in a roundtable meeting to discuss Justina’s care.

Now, after three months of asking, the Tufts doctor had finally gotten an invitation to visit the hospital to discuss Justina’s case.

There was also an article that I remember reading on WS that said that CPS didn't include Dr Korson's report in the evidence provided to the court.

 

[CHICANA]

I think doing everything you can to criticize, slow down or block the efforts to have your child returned to you could easily be the sign of a mentally unwell person. One with a martyr complex.

Or one who can't believe that the government can really take your child without evidence of abuse. How were they blocking efforts ? By making the state workers mad ? She never should have been taken in the first place. And I haven't seen any documentation or evidence provided by the state that either parent is mentally unwell.

 

[CHICANA]

Patient Name: Justina Pelletier
Originated by: Stephanie Newton MS on 2/10/13
Authenticated by: Gerard Berry MD on 2/13/13
Print Date/Time: 4/25/2013

"HISTORY OF PRESENT ILLNESS: Justina has a longstanding history of possible mitochondrial disease with abdominal pain, poor motility, headaches and fatigue. These concerns started becoming much more severe in October 2012 when she began having what is described as odd movements of her right leg which caused her foot to pronate. She was seen by an orthopedic doctor, Dr. Webster at Tufts who prescribed a brace for the leg. Over time Justina's abnormal movements began to affect the left leg and now the rest of the body is affected. Her mother reports that over the past week she has had increased weakness which cause (sic) her to not be able to walk. She is having significant leg pain. Her headaches are becoming worse with light and sound. She also has intermittent slurred speech and altered mental status. Her mother reports that over the last 6-8 weeks her slurred speech and 'gibberish language' has been getting worse. Justina was admitted to Connecticut Children's Hospital on Monday February 04 due to worsening neurological problems as noted above. Her mother reports that it was difficult to complete this admission as Justina was not felt to have a known identifiable diagnosis. Her mother chose to bring her home from the hospital on February 8 hoping that she would do better. After discharge she was still not doing well, complained of feeling weird was not eating and had abnormalities on swallowing. Her other physicians were consulted and it was recommended that she be admitted here at Boston Chidlren's Hospital. She has been here since February 10."

BBM

That wasn't written by her physicians, in fact both of those physicians work for Boston Children's Hospital, not Tufts.

 

[believe09]

Good for Lou. Be the change.

 

[CHICANA]

I am glad Justin's is going home. I think we will know now if there was any justification for her treatment by how well she fares at home. I can well believe mistakes were made as one of my own kids was pretty sick and they wanted to dismiss it. It was glandular fever NOT adolescence and would have been proved by a blood test. I did make a complaint. I think we cannot blame the parents for wanting to take the issue further. I certainly would if it was my child.

I'm thrilled, she looks ecstatic !!

 

[believe09]

Or one who can't believe that the government can really take your child without evidence of abuse. How were they blocking efforts ? By making the state workers mad ? She never should have been taken in the first place. And I haven't seen any documentation or evidence provided by the state that either parent is mentally unwell.

:clap:

It happened. For me, the proof is that in a short period of time once Lou broke the gag order and the Patrick administration stepped in due to political pressure, Justina was returned. The fallout has just begun and I am glad that Lou has decided there is a loophole that needs to be fixed. It is a good place for him to start. It is important for Justina to know that they never stopped fighting for her and that they wont stop advocating for her now. jmvho.

I am grateful there is a bright light being shined on the actions of BCH and DCF-perhaps all of us will have some of our questions answered soon.

I thought the Chronicle piece was well done.

 

[sweetmom]

Or one who can't believe that the government can really take your child without evidence of abuse. How were they blocking efforts ? By making the state workers mad ? She never should have been taken in the first place. And I haven't seen any documentation or evidence provided by the state that either parent is mentally unwell.

The hospital, which had access to all her records going back to events in CT, did believe there was abuse. None of us have seen those records. Of course, you can choose to believe whatever you like, and so can I. But we don't KNOW.

How were they blocking? By making public statements that they would sue or stage angry protests at any facility that agreed to admit Justina. Unsurprisingly, most facilities that might have accepted Justina then said "no thanks" until Wayside finally agreed to do it. That is why she spent an extra YEAR in Massachusetts. IMO, it was the choices made by her parents, out of ego or anger or bad legal advice or all 3, who kept her away from home for an extra year.

No, the state has not called them mentally unwell. But IMO, they are. And if they are unwise enough to launch lawsuits, IMO, a lot of hitherto unknown facts about how the parents have behaved will be brought forward. IMO, they won't like that.

 

[i.b.nora]

Well, so much for her first day at home. They are on their way to New York City to appear on the Sean Hannity Show tonight.