What Do You Do When a Child Wants to Die?

When 5-year-old Julianna Snow began having trouble breathing, her parents didn't rush her to the hospital. Instead, they made her comfortable in her princess-themed bedroom and held her until she slipped away. A promise kept. It wasn't an unexpected death. Julianna had Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), an incurable neuromuscular disorder. The young girl had expressed her wish to die at home. Her parents and doctors gave her the care she needed while supporting her choice. "She went after 18 beautiful months [in hospice]. She didn't go after a year of horrible hospitalizations," her mother told CNN. Vital conversations At Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, Florida, Dr. Blaine B. Pitts, F.A.A.P., often encounters families with children who might die from their diseases. "Vital conversations need to occur," he told Healthline. "We walk alongside the child and family, constantly reassessing goals of care and hope, to lift up the child's voice throughout their journey." Pitts, medical director of Pediatric Palliative Care at the hospital, believes that if you miss out on these conversations, you risk ignoring the child's voice in what truly matters to them. How much weight should a child's wishes carry? According to Pitts, chronological age and level of maturity play a role, but there's another factor that is perhaps more critical. It's duration and severity of illness. "A child who has had cancer for five years would know the burdens and benefits of purs...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news