girl in ct who didnt want to get cancer treatment

by Prof. Esther Bosco V Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago

A judge in 2015 ordered Callender, known as “Cassandra C.” during her legal fight, to undergo chemotherapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma. She had refused treatment, saying she didn't want to poison her body.May 14, 2020

Can Connecticut force a teenage girl to undergo chemotherapy?

Opacity. A teenage girl taken into state custody in Connecticut and forced to undergo chemotherapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma cannot refuse the medical treatments, Connecticut's Supreme Court ruled Thursday.Jan 8, 2015

Can you be refused cancer treatment?

"Refusenik" patients—as Time dubbed them—are a distinct phenomenon from patients who decline end-of-life care. Instead, these patients typically make the decision to forgo care soon after diagnosis, and the treatments they refuse could cure or control the disease.Jun 10, 2011

Can you be forced to do chemo?

A state can force a 17-year-old cancer patient to receive chemotherapy treatments against her will, the Connecticut State Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The court found that the state has not violated the rights of a 17-year-old identified as Cassandra C., who's receiving forced chemotherapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma.Jan 8, 2015

Can a child refuse cancer treatment?

Cancer treatment for children almost always requires parental consent. Minor patients (those younger than age 18) are generally presumed incompetent, thus legally incapable of providing consent to their own medical treatment. Therefore, parents must make treatment decisions on their behalf.Jul 25, 2019

Can you say no chemo?

Can you refuse chemotherapy? Yes. Your doctor presents what he or she feels are the most appropriate treatment options for your specific cancer type and stage while also considering your overall health, but you have the right to make final decisions regarding your care.Mar 2, 2021

Can you survive cancer without chemo?

It found that low-risk patients did well without chemotherapy. That study showed the test could select a cohort of patients with a 99 percent chance of five-year survival without distant metastasis. For those women, the risks of chemotherapy aren't justifiable.Aug 20, 2018

Why would Dr stop chemo?

If you've undergone three or more chemotherapy treatments for your cancer and the tumors continue to grow or spread, it may be time for you to consider stopping chemotherapy.

How long do you live after stopping chemo?

Patients who died under palliative care service had longer median survival (120 days) after last chemotherapy as compared to other patients [120 and 43 days respectively, P < 0.001, Figure 2].

What are alternatives to chemotherapy?

There are several alternative cancer treatments to chemotherapy, including immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy, and laser therapy.
...
This article looks at alternatives to chemotherapy and explores their benefits and risks.

Photodynamic therapy. ...
Laser therapy. ...
Immunotherapy. ...
Targeted therapy. ...
Hormone therapy.

Aug 30, 2021

Can a 12 year old refuse cancer treatment?

Generally, a Minor is capable of independently consenting to or refusing their medical treatment when they achieve a sufficient level of understanding and intelligence to enable them to understand fully what is proposed. This means that there is no set age at which a child or young person is capable of giving consent.

Can a teenager refuse cancer treatment?

“Basically, anyone under age 18 doesn't, on their own, have the ability to make those decisions,” said Slaten. “Just like they can't enter into a contract, they can't decline medical treatment on their own.”May 3, 2016

Can a child refuse life saving treatment?

Treatment refusals: Minors frequently refuse treatment, but where the treatment is life sustaining, the decision may be challenged either on the basis that it is not competent or because, though competent, the law allows the decision to be overruled: Competence: Under 16 year olds are assumed not to be competent.

What kind of cancer did Cassandra have?

Cassandra was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma four months ago. Doctors recommended she receive chemo, a common treatment for that type of cancer, but the girl refused and her mother supported her decision. The family searched for alternative treatments, but a judge ordered Cassandra to undergo chemotherapy.

How many people die from Cassandra's cancer?

According to the National Cancer Institute, about 1,100 patients a year die from it.

When does Cassandra C turn 18?

The girl, identified in court documents as Cassandra C., had asked the court to allow her to make her own medical decisions, even though she won't turn 18 until September. But CBS Connecticut reports the justices unanimously upheld a lower court ruling ordering her to continue treatment.

Can a 17 year old girl with cancer continue chemotherapy?

The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a 17-year-old girl with cancer must continue to get chemotherapy against her will. The girl, identified in court documents as Cassandra C., had asked the court to allow her to make her own medical decisions, ...

Where is Cassandra being treated?

Diagnosed in September, Cassandra is being treated against her will at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (CCMC) in Hartford. She’s told her oncologist she does not want to be exposed to the “toxic poisons” of chemotherapy, court filings show.

How old is Jackie Fortin's daughter?

Jackie Fortin and her 17-year-old daughter Cassandra. Family photo via NBC Connecticut

How to open communication with Cassandra?

Doctors and social workers at the hospital should be working to open lines of communication with Cassandra by negotiating with her , and ultimately building her trust, Caplan said. One option, might be to tell her the chemo treatments will spaced apart more widely than usual so they’re not as hard on her body – although such a schedule wouldn’t be as good for her recovery.

Did Jackie Fortin bring up Cassandra?

Jackie Fortin, who brought up Cassandra on her own following a divorce, failed to bring her daughter to at least four doctor’s appointments last summer and fall —two months before a noticeable lump in the teen ’s neck finally was diagnosed as cancer, court records show .

Did Cassandra's mother support chemotherapy?

The DCF investigations worker (also) testified … that Cassandra's mother did not appear to be in support of the chemotherapy and that Cassandra is concerned about going against what her mother would like to see happen,” Jepsen’s brief states.

Did Jackie Fortin remove Cassandra's phone?

Meanwhile, Jackie Fortin seethes at the state's removal of her daughter, calling it "a slap in the face." For 17 years, she said, they have never been apart, until now. In addition to the removal of Cassandra's cell phone, the hospital staff also took out the room phone. Fortin visits her daughter - she sat with her at the hospital on Monday - but a child-welfare worker remains in the room, monitoring those moments.

How old is the girl who was forced to undergo chemotherapy?

HARTFORD, Conn. - A 17-year-old Connecticut girl who was forced to undergo chemotherapy by the state after she and her mother refused treatment is happy her cancer is in remission but still upset she had no choice in the matter.

Where is Cassandra in Connecticut?

Cassandra remains confined at Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford under the temporary custody of the state Department of Children and Families.

What happened to Cassandra?

After Cassandra was diagnosed with high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma, she and her mother missed several appointments, prompting doctors to notify the DCF, court documents say. A trial court in November granted DCF temporary custody of Cassandra. Lawyers for Cassandra and her mother then sought an injunction prohibiting medical treatment but failed.

What is the Cassandra case?

The case went to the state Supreme Court, which ruled in January that the state wasn't violating Cassandra's rights by forcing her to undergo chemotherapy. The case centered on the "mature minor doctrine" recognized by several other states - whether 16- and 17-year-olds are mature enough to make their own medical decisions.

Who is the DCF Commissioner?

DCF Commissioner Joette Katz said in a statement that agency officials are pleased with "Cassandra's progress toward a complete recovery."

Is chemo in remission for a teenager?

Teen cancer patient ordered to chemotherapy in remission. HARTFORD, Conn. - A 17-year-old Connecticut girl who was forced to undergo chemotherapy by the state after she and her mother refused treatment is happy her cancer is in remission but still upset she had no choice in the matter.

Is Cassandra going to prom?

She said that although she might not earn enough credits to graduate with her class this year, she definitely is planning on making it to the prom.

Why did Cassandra C. get chemotherapy?

A judge in 2015 ordered Callender, known as "Cassandra C." during her legal fight, to undergo chemotherapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma after she refused treatment, saying she didn't want to poison her body.

How did Cassandra Callender die?

Cassandra Callender, who was forced by Connecticut courts as a teenager to undergo chemotherapy for cancer, has died after a five-year battle with the disease, her mother said Thursday. She was 22.

What happened to Callender's lungs?

Callender disclosed in 2016 that a mass had been found on her lungs and that she would undergo alternative treatments.

Did Callender have the maturity to make her own medical decisions?

Connecticut's high court found that Callender, who had run away during a home visit, demonstrated she did not have the maturity to make her own medical decisions.

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