State seizes cancer-stricken girl

[LH Panther Mom]

Thursday, June 9, 2005 Posted: 9:49 PM EDT (0149 GMT)

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) -- Child welfare officials seized a 12-year-old cancer patient from her parents, saying they were blocking radiation treatment that doctors say she needs.

During a court hearing Wednesday, Michele and Edward Wernecke asked that doctors be barred from giving radiation therapy to their daughter Katie until a hearing next week to determine whether she will stay in state custody.

They say their daughter's cancer is in remission and they object to her getting the radiation treatment after undergoing a round of chemotherapy. Katie has Hodgkin's disease, a type of cancer involving the lymph nodes.

Juvenile court Judge Carl Lewis said he would rule on the request Friday.

Last week, authorities issued an Amber Alert to gain temporary custody of Katie after receiving an anonymous tip about possible neglect. She was found with her mother at a family ranch, about 80 miles west of Corpus Christi near Freer, on Saturday.

She remains at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where she is undergoing tests, officials said. State Child Protective Services says her life could be in danger without further cancer treatment.

Michele Wernecke was arrested on charges of interfering with child custody and was released Monday after posting $50,000 bond.

The Werneckes' three sons were placed in a foster home.

Speaking Thursday on NBC's "Today" show, Michele Wernecke said her daughter's illness is unique and should be treated as such.

"I think they should treat her for what her body calls for and not standard protocol. Nobody will look at that," she said. "Not every cancer is the same. Nobody understands that. Her body is not standard, and her cancer is not standard."

The couple, members of the Church of God, have said they oppose blood transfusions unless they were from Katie's mother. But the couple's attorney, Daniel Horne, said religion wasn't at issue in the fight over cancer treatment.

Rather, they believe doctors haven't been upfront about Katie's care and have not answered all their questions about the side effects of the radiation.

"This issue is about parental rights, not about religious rights," Horne said. "They just want to be informed of her treatment. They want to be involved in this."

Katie was diagnosed with cancer in January. In a videotaped statement recorded by her parents, Katie said she's feeling better.

"I don't need radiation treatment. And nobody asked me what I wanted. It's my body," she said.

Officials on Wednesday reached an agreement to let Edward Wernecke and the couple's sons visit Katie on Friday, the day before her 13th birthday.

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Copyright 2005 The Associated Press.

CNN.com story (http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/06/09/cancer.battle.ap/index.html)

[robbo93]

My niece had the same doctor when she had cancer. My brother listened to him and she went through the long hard treatment but she is in remission and about to turn 13. I dont know if the state should have final say in this matter but I feel the family needs to take the doctors advice.

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by robbo93
I dont know if the state should have final say in this matter but I feel the family needs to take the doctors advice.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

[GreenMonster]

CPS has no business here. This girl is obviously not neglected. These parents are doing what they feel is best for their child. They may be wrong but they are in no way acting in a neglectful manner. Why is it that if a parent refuses to follow Dr's orders it's neglect but if a Dr refuses to see a patient due to lack of insurance it is good business? CPS needs to get a clue and find a better solution to the problem than simply relying on Child Abductionwhich basically is what happened, they went into those people's home and abducted their child. Just to know that they actually issued an Amber Alert for this girl turns my stomach. They totally abused that system. Someone needs to get fired over that decision.

[AP Panther Fan]

The fact that CPS placed their 3 boys in a foster home upset me. It is almost like here, "let me show you how much worse we can make it".:mad:

[Z motion 10 out on 2]

Originally posted by GreenMonster
CPS has no business here. This girl is obviously not neglected. These parents are doing what they feel is best for their child. They may be wrong but they are in no way acting in a neglectful manner. Why is it that if a parent refuses to follow Dr's orders it's neglect but if a Dr refuses to see a patient due to lack of insurance it is good business? CPS needs to get a clue and find a better solution to the problem than simply relying on Child Abductionwhich basically is what happened, they went into those people's home and abducted their child. Just to know that they actually issued an Amber Alert for this girl turns my stomach. They totally abused that system. Someone needs to get fired over that decision.

The parents make a good arguement.

[Z motion 10 out on 2]

Originally posted by AP Panther Fan
The fact that CPS placed their 3 boys in a foster home upset me. It is almost like here, "let me show you how much worse we can make it".:mad:

I agree with you on this one. Bad move on the part of the state.

[GreenMonster]

This whole thing irks me. At the end there they try to come out looking like the good guy by letting her Dad and brothers visit her in the hospital the day before her 13th birthday. What a crock of poo. I bet that there will be an armed policeman outside the door and a CPS worker in the room at all times during this visit that CPS so cordially are going to "let" happen.

[BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END]

Originally posted by GreenMonster
Why is it that if a parent refuses to follow Dr's orders it's neglect but if a Dr refuses to see a patient due to lack of insurance it is good business?

Good question...It is a shame that we have to live in a world that if you don't have enough money to pay for healthcare, then you can simply die or do without the necessary healthcare that you need. Who knows, maybe this could be driven by money. Who says that the doctor has to be right? He could be continuing the treatment just to get more money.

[BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END]

Originally posted by GreenMonster
This whole thing irks me. At the end there they try to come out looking like the good guy by letting her Dad and brothers visit her in the hospital the day before her 13th birthday. What a crock of poo. I bet that there will be an armed policeman outside the door and a CPS worker in the room at all times during this visit that CPS so cordially are going to "let" happen.
I think that it is just another way of the government taking away the rights of individuals. It's been happening, slowly but surely. The Patriot Act is a prime example of the government usurping rights....I'm not trying to start a political discussion or point fingers, but that's the way it is.

[Buccaneer]

Sometimes we have to save people from themselves! Her father wanted to treat her with an almond extract and was afraid the radiation would not allow her breasts to develop! There is much more to this story!

[AP Panther Fan]

Well, here's the latest on this story.


Parents lose custody bid for cancer-stricken daughter

Thursday, June 16, 2005 Posted: 12:57 PM EDT (1657 GMT)

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) -- A judge ruled Thursday that the state will retain custody of a 13-year-old girl who was taken from her parents after they refused to continue her cancer treatments because they thought the cancer had been eliminated.

Katie Wernecke, who is suffering from Hodgkin's Disease, will remain with Child Protective Services indefinitely, juvenile court Judge Carl Lewis ruled. Katie, who has been in state custody since June 4, was scheduled to see doctors at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston on Thursday.

The girl was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease, a type of cancer involving the lymph nodes, in January after she was taken to an emergency room with what her parents thought was pneumonia. She received chemotherapy, and the cancer appeared to have gone away.

But doctors said the best course of treatment would be to follow the chemotherapy with radiation, and her parents refused. Edward Wernecke, Katie's father, said he feared the radiation would put Katie at a heightened risk for breast cancer, stunt her growth and cause learning problems.

Earlier this month, Child Protective Services officials took custody of Katie after doctors said the Werneckes were risking their daughter's life by refusing the radiation therapy. A scan last week revealed that the cancer had returned, and on Wednesday Katie's former doctor testified he thought its return was linked to the family's refusal to go forward with the radiation.

When state officials revealed the cancer had returned, attorneys for the Werneckes said it was never the family's intention to deny necessary medical treatment.

On Wednesday, Edward Wernecke told reporters he thought there had been a big misunderstanding. He said Dr. Nejemie Alter, who diagnosed Katie's illness and testified at the hearing, had led him to believe four rounds of chemotherapy were enough.

"After we finished with the four chemos, we thought that's all there was," he said.

The mother testified during the custody hearing Wednesday that she would follow doctors' recommendations for treatment.

"Right now I'd be on a plane, I'd be in my truck heading to M.D. Anderson (Cancer Center)," Michele Wernecke testified Wednesday at a custody hearing.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press.

[BHBrave08]

The Parents are wrong because the 12 year old probably needs the treatment, but the state is making a big mistake. It is no where in there power to do what they are trying to do. My gosh the state does some of the dumbest things sometimes.:doh: