Why would a mother do this? Police are looking for an 11-year-old leukemia patient whose mother removed her from a Phoenix, Arizona hospital where she was being treated last week. Security cameras show the mother leading the daughter, still attached to an IV, past the hospital elevators. They went into a bathroom, where the mother removed the IV and the patient changed her clothes. Then they left.
The patient, named Emily, was scheduled to leave the hospital on Thursday. But here's the really scary part: That IV was attached to a catheter in Emily's heart. If not properly removed Emily could get a potentially deadly infection. Her doctors are worried that she could be in grave danger.
The search for Emily and her family is especially difficult because they are from Mexico and don't have any records in Arizona. So they could be over the border by now. Emily had just had an arm amputated because of an infection -- you would think that might make her a little easier to spot. But of course, that would also be easy enough to disguise, too. Of course, an adult is free to refuse treatment and leave a hospital at any time. But since Emily is a child her parents could face criminal charges for endangering her life.
I feel like there's a lot more to this story than we know so far. This just seems like an insane thing for Emily's parents to do. What else was going on that would cause them to run out of the hospital this way? Were they worried about paying their hospital bills? Did the parents feel the hospital was mistreating their daughter? Was there some other emergency calling the family elsewhere?
I wonder, too, if there was a language barrier. Maybe the mother didn't realize how dangerous it was to remove her daughter's catheter. Maybe there was some misunderstanding between her and the girl's doctors and the mother was angry or frustrated. I think parents all over who are following this story are hoping there's a reason why this family made such a desperate move. I'm just hoping Emily is found soon, before it's too late. But it doesn't look good so far.
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What do you think would lead a parent to remove their child from the hospital early like this?
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Comments 10
Yea I def think something is up and we aren't getting the whole story. I truly think most parents who removed their children from the hospital are doing do becaise they feel they have a good reason. Chances are they went back to Mexico and are going to have a doctor there remove the remaining heart cath. I think its wring that as adults we are charged with making all the decisions for our kids until someone doesn't like it and then we get charged for neglect if treatment goes against our beliefs.
If that little girl dies due to her mother removing her from the hospital, the mother better face 1st degree murder charges. I seriously hope and pray she is found in time!
who knows, the girl was a terminal cancer patient. there's a very good chance that she was not going to make it much longer, and she wanted to be home with family when she passed. i can't imagine being in this family's shoes, and i'll hold judgement on that until i know more - because there is definitely more to this.
the little girl probably wanted to leave so they left. My brother passed away from cancer when he was 10 and there were many many times he begged us to take him home..or run away rather than go back up to the hospital. its her daughter..she can do what she wants. She didn't deny her treatment she took her and they had enough..its really nobodies business though.
Umm how is it kidnapping if it's her parents removing her and she is going willingly?? If there was a language barrier invovled then the hospital is at fault for not providing a decent translator to explain things.
It's possible that they are in the U.S. illegally and the longer they have the daughter in the hospital, the easier it will be for them to be "found out!" I'm sure the hospital would have still treated the girl regardless...but the parents may be worried about being deported. Who knows!? It could be like others said and the girl had just had enough and wanted to leave. I'm sure this will be uncovered soon. I hope the girl is ok!
When this story first broke (at least on the channels I was watching), they showed us the video but never said what city this was - much less what hospital - it was - if you see them, let the police know. I had to search to find out where.
This is so sad. I don't want to judge these parents, I can't see how they would want to harm their child, as they were already getting her treatment and this could very well be the little girls last wish. I don't see how it could be a language problem as there are MANY bilingual nurses all over Arizona, just for these purposes. and Tricia, please don't blame the Arizona immigration laws for this!!! yes, there is a chance that the family may have gotten deported, but the family knew the chances they were taking when they came her illegally (if that is even the case). I hope that poor girl and her family are safe and either receiving more treatment, or at least happy and at peace. God please help them!!!