Wyoming mom of 5 who refused cancer treatment to have 6th child has passed away

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ oh good. Did she really value the fetus enough for you now?

It doesn't really do anyone any good to have these stories circulated inaccurately as fairy tales. I wish it had been properly reported: she did NOT refuse cancer treatment; she refused to terminated to enroll in a clinical trial. She in fact got all sorts of conventional cancer treatment. I believe that women (and fetuses) are best served if this stuff is made clear, yes.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:The chemo doesn't work, that's probably why. Not much has changed in treating GBM in the last 15 yrs. a lot of trials that don't do more than the standard crappy treatments. You don't know how operable and location of the tumor(s). If you've never seen what GBM does to someone, you have no idea what happens to the patient. Your brain controls EVERYTHING so anything foreign up there causes issues. Gbm cells double every 2 weeks and there's millions of cells that create a tumor. It truly is a death sentence.

Not entirely true. The chemo drugs have changed in the last 10 years. They buy a bit more time (not tons more though)

Really? It's still temador and now avistan, with unwelcome side effects. Temador was experimental 15 yrs ago and now standard as is radiation. I lost two family members to GBM, 12 yrs apart. Believe me, not much has changed.

I'm so sorry, PP. Were they biologically related to each other?

Yes, this is my immediate family. One parent and one sibling. It pisses me off people talking about it like brain cancer is a walk in the park for the patient. Both lost the ability to walk and talk. Not a great quality of life. Like I said, your brain controls everything. The treatments are harsh (fry your brain with radiation and be nauseous from chemo). Multiple surgeries when the treatments stop working. It's not a pretty process. Most cancer patients die from when their cancer metatizes to the brain. It's virtually impossible to stop GBM. I have no opinion on this lady's plight. I want people to realize GBM is no walk in the park.

I'm so sorry, PP. We've been through the hell of GBS once, and it was just as you described - the idea of going through it again is just devastating.

Thanks. So sorry for your loss as well. People don't get it unless they experienced it. Truly hell on earth for the patient and loved ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good job, bringing a special needs baby into the world with five other kids and a dad with no job. Plus thousands of dollars in medical bills that have him begging on GoFundMe.

This is my reaction. Even if this were her 2nd child not 6th. She burdened her spouse and other kids. She deprived the newborn of a mom and the other kids her presence for up to a year or however long she would have lived had she gotten treatment. She is a selfish woman. WTF.

[Anonymous]

Sad? Only the kids who were left behind.

"We’re pro-life," the father told the Detroit Free Press. "Under no circumstance do we believe you should take a child's life. She sacrificed her life for the child."

People should have a choice as long as they can actually take responsibility for their choices. I hope he did not bet on getting free care or charity care. Who does he expect will pay for the full amount of mefical care costs for this 1 pound micropremie being in the hospital? The last premie story I read was that the hospital bill came out to over a million dollars.

I hope this father pays back every cent of medical costs to the hospital. He should take responsibility for their choice not to terminate. Choice? Choice to burden everyone else? Laughable. Irresponsible.

[Anonymous]

I refused treatment for cervical cancer when I was pregnant with my last child because the treatment could have caused a miscarriage and he deserved a chance to live. That was 12 years ago, I was treated after his birth, and never regretted the chance I took because he lights up my life every day. Yes, I could have died, but I didn't. We both lived. I'm dying of Stage 4 COPD now, but at least I've had 12 years with my son, and I'll have a few more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sad? Only the kids who were left behind.

"We’re pro-life," the father told the Detroit Free Press. "Under no circumstance do we believe you should take a child's life. She sacrificed her life for the child."

People should have a choice as long as they can actually take responsibility for their choices. I hope he did not bet on getting free care or charity care. Who does he expect will pay for the full amount of mefical care costs for this 1 pound micropremie being in the hospital? The last premie story I read was that the hospital bill came out to over a million dollars.

I hope this father pays back every cent of medical costs to the hospital. He should take responsibility for their choice not to terminate. Choice? Choice to burden everyone else? Laughable. Irresponsible.

So I assume you feel that mothers on public assistance should also be forced to have abortions, or be forced to pay back every cent of free medical care or other assistance they receive?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sad? Only the kids who were left behind.

"We’re pro-life," the father told the Detroit Free Press. "Under no circumstance do we believe you should take a child's life. She sacrificed her life for the child."

People should have a choice as long as they can actually take responsibility for their choices. I hope he did not bet on getting free care or charity care. Who does he expect will pay for the full amount of mefical care costs for this 1 pound micropremie being in the hospital? The last premie story I read was that the hospital bill came out to over a million dollars.

I hope this father pays back every cent of medical costs to the hospital. He should take responsibility for their choice not to terminate. Choice? Choice to burden everyone else? Laughable. Irresponsible.

So I assume you feel that mothers on public assistance should also be forced to have abortions, or be forced to pay back every cent of free medical care or other assistance they receive?

I also assume that if she had thrown herself in the path of a bullet to protect another child, you would be hailing her as a hero and have no problem with her medical care? You can't force someone to have treatment, and you can't force someone to get an abortion. If you do neither in situation, you wind up with a gestating mother who could die at any time, and eventually did, at a point when her fetus could have saved but wasn't full term. It happens. If you're not part of the family, it's none of your business.

Agree it should not have been the subject of a fawning news article, however, as there is no heroism here -- just people doing what they needed to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good job, bringing a special needs baby into the world with five other kids and a dad with no job. Plus thousands of dollars in medical bills that have him begging on GoFundMe.

This is my reaction. Even if this were her 2nd child not 6th. She burdened her spouse and other kids. She deprived the newborn of a mom and the other kids her presence for up to a year or however long she would have lived had she gotten treatment. She is a selfish woman. WTF.

If you're pro-choice, why don't you respect hers? Baffling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good job, bringing a special needs baby into the world with five other kids and a dad with no job. Plus thousands of dollars in medical bills that have him begging on GoFundMe.

This is my reaction. Even if this were her 2nd child not 6th. She burdened her spouse and other kids. She deprived the newborn of a mom and the other kids her presence for up to a year or however long she would have lived had she gotten treatment. She is a selfish woman. WTF.

If you're pro-choice, why don't you respect hers? Baffling.

Coming on DCUM to discuss people's stupid choices doesn't mean we don't think they shouldn't be allowed to make choices. I also think it's hypocritical to say, let God/nature take it's course and then turn around and keep a brain-dead woman on life support in order to try to keep the fetus alive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She should have gotten treatment and stayed pregnant. As it is, she's dead years sooner than she might have been, and she leaves behind a sick micro-preemie and 5 other young kids.

Well how easy of you to armchair quarterback this woman in this situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm as pro-choice as they get. Part of being pro-choice is recognizing people will make a different choice than you. This was a private decision, made based on their priorities, circumstances, and between husband and wife. What you or I or anyone else would have done is irrelevant. She made the decision right for her and her values and her family.

It's sad all around. Even if she had chosen differently, it's not like she would be living some dream existence with her diagnosis.

Leave the judgment behind.

It's a discussion board. It's okay for people to discuss what they think about this newspaper article.

Thank you captain obvious. I know that's the point. But, the vitriol shown against her for the decision by both sides is pretty disgusting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good job, bringing a special needs baby into the world with five other kids and a dad with no job. Plus thousands of dollars in medical bills that have him begging on GoFundMe.

This is my reaction. Even if this were her 2nd child not 6th. She burdened her spouse and other kids. She deprived the newborn of a mom and the other kids her presence for up to a year or however long she would have lived had she gotten treatment. She is a selfish woman. WTF.

If you're pro-choice, why don't you respect hers? Baffling.

Coming on DCUM to discuss people's stupid choices doesn't mean we don't think they shouldn't be allowed to make choices. I also think it's hypocritical to say, let God/nature take it's course and then turn around and keep a brain-dead woman on life support in order to try to keep the fetus alive.

Totally agree.

[Anonymous]

Yes, this is my immediate family. One parent and one sibling.[b] It pisses me off people talking about it like brain cancer is a walk in the park for the patient. Both lost the ability to walk and talk. Not a great quality of life. Like I said, your brain controls everything. The treatments are harsh (fry your brain with radiation and be nauseous from chemo). Multiple surgeries when the treatments stop working. It's not a pretty process. Most cancer patients die from when their cancer metatizes to the brain. It's virtually impossible to stop GBM. I have no opinion on this lady's plight. I want people to realize GBM is no walk in the park.

I'm so sorry, PP. We've been through the hell of GBS once, and it was just as you described - the idea of going through it again is just devastating.

Thanks. So sorry for your loss as well. People don't get it unless they experienced it. Truly hell on earth for the patient and loved ones.

I thought GBM doesn't run in families? I'm asking because my mom died of it at 46 and we were assured we had no greater chance of getting it than anyone else. I've always kind of worried about it anyway in the back of my mind, but maybe I have a reason to,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Yes, this is my immediate family. One parent and one sibling.[b] It pisses me off people talking about it like brain cancer is a walk in the park for the patient. Both lost the ability to walk and talk. Not a great quality of life. Like I said, your brain controls everything. The treatments are harsh (fry your brain with radiation and be nauseous from chemo). Multiple surgeries when the treatments stop working. It's not a pretty process. Most cancer patients die from when their cancer metatizes to the brain. It's virtually impossible to stop GBM. I have no opinion on this lady's plight. I want people to realize GBM is no walk in the park.

I'm so sorry, PP. We've been through the hell of GBS once, and it was just as you described - the idea of going through it again is just devastating.

Thanks. So sorry for your loss as well. People don't get it unless they experienced it. Truly hell on earth for the patient and loved ones.

I thought GBM doesn't run in families? I'm asking because my mom died of it at 46 and we were assured we had no greater chance of getting it than anyone else. I've always kind of worried about it anyway in the back of my mind, but maybe I have a reason to,

The dr's have no idea what causes GBM so how can they say 100% it's not hereditary. From my research, 5% of cases are hereditary. There are certain syndromes that lead to BTs but my family does not have those syndromes. I'm on several GBM message boards and there's a decent amount of people with multiple immediate family members with/died from GBM. dr's will then say "environment" which I don't buy. I personally think we are born with it and at some point the cells mutate into it. Babies have GBM which is why I believe that's the case.

I understand your worry. You should see my reaction when my child says he has a headache. Believe me, I would have bet all my $ that I would never deal with GBM again after the first time. Shocked me and my family. I wish there were better answers. I'm so sorry about the loss of your mom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She should have gotten treatment and stayed pregnant. As it is, she's dead years sooner than she might have been, and she leaves behind a sick micro-preemie and 5 other young kids.

Nice judgement. Come back and tell us how you'd handle it once you actually experienced something like that. Jesus.