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Friday, April 29, 2005

Teron Francis Passed Away

He was 13 years old. The story is here. There is too little known for me to comment much at this time, except that I am very glad that his mother was allowed to make the decision to disconnect the ventilator. This latest article says that the infection that killed him might not have been the result of the tooth abscess. On the other hand, the hospital has also said that it never told his mother that they were going to disconnect the ventilator whether she agreed or not and I am having trouble finding that plausible.

It is every mother's nightmare to watch her child die. There is something so wrong, so unnatural about watching the life you brought into the world leave it while you are still here. I can't imagine what it would be like to check yourself out of one hospital because you have no news of your son who is in another, and to be told that he is dead when you arrive.

I certainly hope there is a full investigation. Medicine is not a certain science, and the presumption should not be that medical mistakes were made. But the abscessed tooth wasn't treated, and that could not have helped this boy's condition even if a later infection was the final cause of his death.

Meningitis and encephalitis do kill young people very swiftly sometimes. I met a nurse who lost her 3 month-old baby to meningitis. She had the medical knowledge, she got him to the hospital very quickly, and the baby died before the lab tests could even confirm an infection. Sometimes there is nothing medicine can do. Sometimes there is. I hope Teron's mother gets answers and some peace. Say a prayer for this family if you are so inclined.


Comments:
I ran across this the other day- you might want to read it:
http://oracknows.blogspot.com/2005/04/sad-end-to-sad-tale.html
 
I could not agree more with this....

"There is something so wrong, so unnatural about watching the life you brought into the world leave it while you are still here."

There is nothing more heartbreaking than seeing a mother at her child's funeral.

I will indeed say a prayer.
 
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