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

[jjenny]

I totally agree, this child has suffered. If her parents weren't so stubborn her suffering would have been very brief, she would have been home over a year ago....IMO

What is the basis for this opinion, exactly? There is a similar case in which Children's place a child in Bader 5 (where parents filed a lawsuit).
Those parents haven't made a peep.
Yet Childern's still kept their child in Bader 5 for months.

 

[jaunty-girl]

From the story:

Her family is now allowed daily visits. Pelletier said that Justina is not getting proper medical treatment and her health continues to deteriorate. Sunday, he said, she asked to make a videotaped statement asking to return to her family's home in West Hartford, which has been posted online.

It is really something that this caring father keeps insisting that his daughter continues to deteriorate. Since he previously said she was dying, is he now saying he feels she is nearly dead?

We know of no special medical care needed since she's been transferred, so at the very least, she's stable. From descriptions of how she was doing before, in a wheel chair, having difficulty speaking and eating, she certainly seems no worse. As to the hairline arguments, who knows what's going on there. From previous photos, she looks to have an odd hairline anyway. But whatever the case, pulling her hair back like that, isn't going to help, that makes it worse.

It will be really terrible if she is released and ends up back in the hospital since she seems stable.

 

[sweetmom]

I would fight, manipulate, scream, scheme, lie, etc to get my child home.

JMO

But would you do all that if it actually delayed getting your child home? Because that seems to be the case with Justina.

 

[sweetmom]

This does not mean that she's going downhill because of BCH if we don't know what level she was before.

That is right, Donjeta. We do know she was attending a private school in West Hartford for kids with serious learning disabilities. And the family has said she suffered a stroke at age 7. Without seeing her actual medical records, we cannot say how compromised she is, but that chilling video...so very sad and so very enraging...suggests she has real problems.

 

[sweetmom]

What is the basis for this opinion, exactly? There is a similar case in which Children's place a child in Bader 5 (where parents filed a lawsuit).
Those parents haven't made a peep.
Yet Childern's still kept their child in Bader 5 for months.

Again, we have not seen that other child's medical records, and for all any of us know, that child might have been well-served by being in Bader 5. It's not a dungeon, it's a treatment floor for kids with psychological problems.

But to get back to your "basis of opinion" question: Here is info from a Feb. 26 Globe story, which explains that Justina could have been placed a facility in CT way back last year (as the interim step to sending her home)...except that Lou made such a fuss that the plan fell apart. That's right: Justina could have been out of Bader 5 AN ENTIRE YEAR AGO if the Pelletiers had co-operated. (He objected because, he said, he "had heard" that it "once was" an orphanage. And what if it was? It was not an orphanage last summer.)


Here's the Globe story:

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/hea...-north-shore/jWLWZA6a6IEm8oGJTiiuxK/blog.html

"Late last summer, Webster House in New Britain, Conn., considered accepting Justina after discussions with the Department of Children and Families but backed out after the girl’s father, Lou Pelletier, threatened to sue if it took his daughter. Later, Justina’s parents softened their view of the Webster House after visiting the place, but by early September, the facility’s administrator e-mailed the father: “We have determined, unfortunately, that we are unable to take on the risk of becoming involved in a protracted legal battle that could be very costly.”

 

[i.b.nora]

One of Rev Pat's tweets links to a Blaze artcle that talks about the video and says Justina was actually allowed a brief visit to the family home and also attended one of her sister's dance recitals this past weekend.

She is almost home, everyone knows it if they are paying attention. The family needs to just bite their lips, cool their jets, and stay under the radar for the next ten days, IMO.

 

[CathyinTexas]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...akes-tearful-plea-to-judge-asking-to-go-home/

Frankly, I find the video disturbing. It's inappropriate to use the child this way.
There is a legitimate appropriate way for that child to be heard by the judge and it's not through the media.


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She has not been given the opportunity to speak to the judge though she has wanted to. She is 16 years old now and wanted to make that appeal, it was the only way, apparently for her to be heard.

 

[EGirl]

IMO the problem is ...Lou thinks he's a doctor....or a wanna be politician IMO


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I don't care if he's a wanna be Ninja or wanna be Pied Piper.

There are a lot of people (including Lou) whose personality rub me the wrong way. But their child has been gone way too long over accusations, with no proof at all.

I read a dozen stories a day here with more evidence of abuse where 'reunification' happens without so much as a heavy sigh.

JMO and all that jazz.

 

[CathyinTexas]

ITA. That's just awful. I didn't realize she had cognitive issues in addition to the medical issues until now. Even more reason not to do such a thing....wow

jmo

It has been stated throughout this past 16 months that she has regressed while in the care of the state.

 

[CathyinTexas]

That's awful. It feels like someone is behind the scenes getting her upset for "benefit" of the video.

What she needs is to NOT be stressed out, NOT be made more upset in what is already a difficult situation.

:furious:


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This poor girl has begged her family for 16 months to get her out of there, she wanted to go home from the beginning and didn't understand why she was being kept there. The entire time she was in BCH psych ward they were forbidden from talking about that or anything medical. They did there best to keep things light and make the visits positive. They aren't using her. They gave her the opportunity to speak. That is in her best interest, and best for her mental health, imo.

 

[Gardenlady]

All the insisting that Justina is deteriorating, that she is near death, etc, contributes to her condition. Whether it is physical or mental, constantly hearing that you are declining, worsening, dying, CANNOT be good for your chances at recovery.

If the parents have Justinas best interests at heart, they would not feed into this cloud of negative energy around her. I cannot think of a more disheartening future for this girl than going home and being constantly told, or overhearing, how badly she is doing.


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[CathyinTexas]

I'm in complete agreement. They seem dead set on dealing with this case in the media, no matter what is in their child's best interest. I'm guessing they did this to garner more attention, as the media seemed to have lost interest.

I do find this information, from the story, interesting though.
"Justina was taken by ambulance to Boston Children's Hospital because she was in a wheelchair at the time and a heavy snowstorm was blanketing the region."
So she was in a wheelchair, before being admitted to BCH.

Media sometimes (often) gets facts wrong. That is the case here. She was never in a wheel chair at home, the family doesn't own one, it is customary for patients needing care by ambulance or hospital to arrive in a wheel chair for obvious reasons, liablilty.

 

[CathyinTexas]

I couldn't find any information about who actually shot the video-would someone link the media indicating it was family? TIA.

The video was beyond inappropriate imvho. It isn't needed at this juncture-the judge will be ruling shortly, likely in favor of returning Justina back home to her family. Perhaps it was Justina's idea-in any case, it just felt very wrong to me.

There is much about this case that I have felt is wrong as long as I have been following it, but it isn't Justina expressing her feelings. I am sure she feels empowered by that.

 

[CathyinTexas]

She sounded like she was becoming more agitated as the video went on. NOT good for her health and recovery, mental or physical.


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She is agitated about her incarceration. Can any of us imagine being in her situation for close to a year and a half?

 

[CathyinTexas]

Gosh, it seems to me that EVEN if Lou knew "nothing" about the video until it was made and posted, he still should have been the PARENT who is about a week or so away from a court hearing to see if he can regain custody.

It seems to me he he could have had a lot of influence over whether that video remained posted and set to public.

It seems to me he could have refused interviews about the video, and expressed regret that Justina was again in the public for discussion.

It seems to me he could have apologized for their "youthful mistake", and asked for privacy as his family works toward reunification.

It seems he could have understood how provocative and spiteful and disrespectful it is to endorse this video as his custody hearing approaches.

It seems to me he is not only unable, but completely unwilling, STILL, to understand how his own behavior and conduct has affected his daughter's care and life, and still affects it.

It seems to me his goal it to continue the conflict, belligerence, and provocative behavior as long as he is breathing.

He is, IMO, DARING authorities to rule against him. He "wins" his game whether he gets custody or not. None of this is about his daughter, IMO.

It would be a fascinating psychopathic train wreck, if it weren't so profoundly sad for Justina. She's just a pawn in his game of Lou Against The Universe. IMO.

If ever I had any sympathy for the parents, this video has erased the last little vestiges of that.

This thread has been very critical of the parents. Lots of opinion. Mine is that Justina and the family have had to endure much injustice and they have come through it well. When the suit is filed the public will get information that will make there stance more understandable.

 

[CathyinTexas]

I will say, she is looking way better in the recent photos on Facebook than she did early on. That leads me to believe whatever the treatment was up until this point, seems to be working.

Has she had one medical crisis that required hospitalization since Children's & child protective services has been involved? Is she eating on her own? She's looking very healthy.
All IMO

In most of the closeup shots of Justina her eyes are telling to me. She doesn't look well, imo. Not as a girl her age should look health wise. She has been getting treatment from her Tufts doctor's since leaving Mass.

 

[CathyinTexas]

This does not mean that she's going downhill because of BCH if we don't know what level she was before.

They know what her level was before removal from her family and they know by testing what her level is now.

 

[Gardenlady]

She is agitated about her incarceration. Can any of us imagine being in her situation for close to a year and a half?

Cathy, I'm sure she IS agitated, but we all know she is not incarcerated, she has been in medical facilities.

It's not being agitated alone that I was remarking On (after all, even the most severely abused will often be upset at being removed from the home, and want to return - because they love their parents in spite of the abuse). It was the oddness of how she grew more agitated as the video went on, almost as if she were taking direction.

 

[Gardenlady]

Ugh, sorry for random smiley face in the subject line... Did not mean to put a grin there, fat fingers on iPad must have clicked it by mistake!

 

[jaunty-girl]

It has been stated throughout this past 16 months that she has regressed while in the care of the state.

And yet, she seems to be either in the same condition or better than she was when she was originally admitted. She isn't in the hospital and as far as we know, she hasn't had any new major treatments. She was taken to the ER for a reason and she had been discharged just days before AMA.

Media sometimes (often) gets facts wrong. That is the case here. She was never in a wheel chair at home, the family doesn't own one, it is customary for patients needing care by ambulance or hospital to arrive in a wheel chair for obvious reasons, liablilty.

Cathy how do you know this? I cannot accept anything the family says as fact, she is clearly not dying like Lou has stated. How do you KNOW she wasn't in a wheelchair before the ambulance arrived?