Seattle Post-Intelligencer January 4, 2007
The parents of a mentally disabled girl have had a Seattle hospital give her treatments to keep her child-size so that she’ll be easier to care for.
Nine-year-old named Ashley recently completed 2 1/2 years of treatments.
The treatments included a hysterectomy, the removal of her breast buds, and a course of estrogen.
KING-TV reports the treatment was approved by the ethics board at Children’s Hospital. Dr. Benjamin Wilfond said the hospital agreed to the treatment to benefit the child.
She has a severe brain impairment called static encephalopathy. She can’t walk or talk. She’s fed through a tube and has the developmental ability of a baby.
Ashley’s parents bring her to Children’s Hospital every three months so that doctors can monitor her height, weight and estrogen levels.
As shocking as this treatment sounds to me, it reminds me of a question I have often harbored. What are parents of such children (especially if they are not able to move themselves) to do as they age and their children grow into adulthood still needing to be lifted, moved etc.
Father please comment!