Brown AN, Gonzalez GR, Wiester RT, Kelley MC, Feldman KW.
Care taker blogs in caregiver fabricated illness in a child: a window on the
caretaker's thinking? Child Abuse Negl. 2014 Mar;38(3):488-97.
Abstract
Three recently diagnosed cases of caregiver-fabricated
illness in a child at Seattle Children's Hospital shed light on a new
manifestation of their caretakers' attention seeking. The patients' mothers
were actively blogging about their children's reputed illnesses. Although it is
not uncommon for parents of chronically ill children to blog about their child's
medical course, specific themes in these blogs of parents suspected of
medically abusing their children were noted. In particular, gross distortions
of the information parents had received from medical providers were presented
online, describing an escalation of the severity of their children's illnesses.
The mothers reported contacting palliative care teams and Wish organizations,
independently from their medical providers' recommendations. They sought
on-line donations for their children's health needs. We believe these blogs
provide additional direct evidence of the suspected caregivers' fabrications.
Although we have not performed formal content analysis, blogs might also
provide insight into the caretakers' motivations. Protective Services and/or
police investigators could consider querying the internet for blogs related to
children at risk for caregiver-fabricated illness in a child. These blogs, if
viewed in parallel with the children's medical records, could assist medical
diagnosis and legal documentation of medical fabrication and assist in
protective planning for the affected children.
_________________________________________________________________________
What started out as a feel-good story about the kindness of
strangers has turned into a CPS nightmare for a family in the Pacific
northwest, where doctors at Seattle Children’s Hospital have accused Thomas
Everson and his wife Brandi McNerny Everson of exaggerating their son’s
disabilities and subjecting him to unnecessary medical care. The diagnosis has
several names, including “medical child abuse” and “caretaker-inflicted
illness.”
The tale started in February, when the family issued an on-line
request asking people to send their special-needs son “Bubby” a card for his
ninth birthday, maybe with some stickers inside, because Bubby loves opening
mail, especially when he finds stickers inside. Bubby lives with both physical
and mental impairments, the long-term effects of a virus he contracted in
utero, which makes it congenital Cytomegalovirus or CMV.
The family’s request for mail went viral and Bubby received
thousands of birthday cards, a development that led to even more coverage, like
this follow-up piece from the Fox news station that ran the first story.
Overwhelmed with good wishes, the family started passing along the bounty to
other special needs children. “It has changed his life,” Bubby’s mother Brandi
said on camera, “He’s so happy.”
A few months later, though, when Brandi rescheduled one of
her son’s many doctor appointments, CPS workers followed up with a home visit
to investigate the “missed” appointment. Brandi later told television reporters
that the social workers “seemed very concerned about the stacks of mail piled
inside their home.”
Two weeks later, CPS workers arrived to take Bubby into
foster care, allowing his stunned mother only a few minutes to pack him a bag
and say good-bye. The couple is now frantic about their son’s welfare, they
say, as his medical and psychological needs are complex…
In December of 2014, before the Everson family knew their
appeal for mail would catch fire in the media, Brandi had started a GoFundMe
page to raise money for a “sensory room” for Bubby, a safe place with textured
walls and specialized play areas where he could de-stress and develop his motor
skills. The family had already raised more than the $5,000 they were aiming
for, so they had shut down the site before the accusations arose—now they have
halted renovations and reopened the site as “Attorney for CPS Case+Sensory
Room.”
Custody hearings for Bubby Everson concluded earlier this
week, amid television coverage from Fox news and King 5 that give some insight
into the specific charges. Bubby slept in a special bed with webbing around it,
for example, which the state apparently characterized as an attempt to imprison
him—his parents say the netting is to keep him safe, so he won’t fall on the
floor during a seizure. The state also seems to have argued that Bubby does not
have autism, as his parents have claimed, and that he does not need the
orthotic boots, feeding tube, or wheel chair that are all part of his life. The
parents provided medical records showing that their son has been treated for
“autism spectrum disorder” and argued that the other interventions were all
prescribed by medical professionals and paid for by state insurance.
The news reports I’ve seen of this case haven’t raised any
questions about the overall reliability of a “medical child abuse” diagnosis.
The hearing coverage from King 5, for example, featured an interview with an
attorney and former CPS worker who said, “For a court to step in and get an
order to remove a child, something very serious has happened… Quite honestly,
most of the time it doesn’t rise to this level, where you get a team of doctors
from Children’s stepping in. And so, that’s going to get the attention of the
court. It certainly got the attention of the department.”
“Medical child abuse” and “caregiver-fabricated illness” are
the new terms for what was once called “Munchausen syndrome by proxy,” a
reference to the confabulations of the protagonist in a set of satirical tales
from the 1700s inspired by a real-life baron who famously enjoyed recounting
his exploits in the Russo-Turkish war. In Munchausen syndrome, a patient lies
about his or her own symptoms. Munchausen by proxy, of course, means inventing
an illness for someone else. Child abuse experts like Dr. Carole Jenny, who
joined the Seattle Children’s Hospital staff in 2014, are encouraging the new
terminology—the publicity for a 2008 book Dr. Jenny co-authored argues:
The term Munchausen syndrome by proxy should be retired
permanently and replaced with a commonsense appreciation that children can be
abused by their parents in the medical environment. Physicians who find
themselves providing unnecessary and harmful medical care can see the abuse for
what it is, another way parents can harm children.
The accusations are direct and to the point. The state
alleges 9-year-old Thomas "Bubby" Everson was subjected to
unnecessary medical treatment that included surgery to implant a feeding tube.
Officials also claim the boy uses of a wheelchair even though he doesn't need
it, and a "net bed" with restraints that aren't necessary.
His mother, Brandi McNerney, says the wheelchair is only
used when they go to the hospital and that Bubby does eat solid foods,
according to court documents.
McNerney's attorney says the parents use the feeding tube to
feed Bubby smoothies with greens when he hasn't eaten enough throughout the
day.
She also uses the tube to provide grains, dairy, fruit and
other items that he doesn't like to eat. The child's parents were in court
Wednesday trying to win their son back after he was taken by Child Protective
Services.
The dependency petition states multiple claims by Seattle
Children's Hospital that there may be "caregiver fabricated illness"
or medical abuse by the parents. It's something both parents deny.
"The information that they've pieced together is not
the full story because he has multiple places that he goes to for doctor's
visits and medical visits," said Bubby's father, Thomas Everson.
Bubby's medical journey has been well documented and has
garnered an outpouring of support nationwide after his parents told people on
Facebook all he wanted was letters for his birthday.
The state alleges his parents posted a birthday announcement
saying this would be Bubby's last birthday and that he was taken on a
Make-a-Wish Disney Cruise.
All of that while there is "no terminal medical
diagnosis," according to CPS. A GoFundMe page has been shut down after
raising more than $18,000 to cover expenses not paid for by Medicaid. The money
was originally to be used to create a sensory room for the child, but his
parent's now say it will be used for legal fees.
McNerney and Everson responded to the list of allegations
outside the courtroom on Wednesday.
"It's not right that they're twisting words,"
McNerney said. "I don't care how people twist us we know the truth."
http://komonews.com/archive/parents-accused-of-medical-abuse-fighting-to-get-son-back
Courtesy of a colleague
No comments:
Post a Comment