Thursday, October 04, 2012

This is just so wrong

This is just so wrong and makes me sick to think about. :(   Here is more news on the story I posted yesterday about the girl with PANDAS taken fro her parents,  if you didn't get to read it you can do so HERE ...  this is an email I got from on of the PANDAS support groups I'm part of.  Beth Maloney is Lawyer for the family, also a PANDAS mother and author of the book Saving Sammy
Here is the email.

For those of you who don't get Beth Maloney's emails, but want to know what you can do to help in the Boston case, this is from Beth. I think these people need national media exposure - NOW. I just cannot fathom that they have to wait 3 weeks for another hearing.




Things are not good with Elizabeth. She remains at Boston Children's Hospital. BCH still refuses to recognize that its "treatment" is a complete failure. She continues to decline. She can no longer walk. She barely speaks. Earlier this evening, I listened to her screaming and wailing in the background from her bed as her brokenhearted father tried to bring me up to date.

There will be a piece in the Boston Globe Magazine about PANDAS within the next three weeks. They contacted me directly as a result of your efforts...someone posted or blogged regarding my earlier emails and that is how the Globe found the story and me. Based on my interview today, which lasted for over an hour, I expect this situation will receive a great deal of attention. Keep posting. Keep blogging. It makes a difference.

I want to be 100% clear that these parents did NOTHING wrong. They took the exact same steps that you or I would have taken to help our children. This could have happened to any one of us. They are living every parent's nightmare...losing custody of their child for trying to do the right thing. And these parents need your help.

The Wrays have given me written permission to share the following information with all of you and the media.

Briefly, Elizabeth was diagnosed with PANDAS by two doctors in NY February 2012. It first showed up as trouble eating. Blood work showed mycoplasma and Lyme. With antibiotic treatment she improved and did well over the summer. But she took a dive in early September. Her parents took her to a hospital near them, but the hospital felt she needed more than it could offer. There were two possibilities suggested: Rochester and Boston Children's. The parents wanted her to go to the first place that had a bed; that was at Boston Children's so she went there. BCH immediately decided that Elizabeth's issues were all psychiatric and not medical, not PANDAS. They have refused to introduce antibiotics. And although she was on a gluten & dairy free diet, BCH immediately introduced both. She has had a spinal tap, EKG, EEG, MRI and many, many other tests. The parents were never given any test results. They were told there were "irregularities" in some tests, but they have not been informed what those irregularities are so they still have no idea. Last Thursday and Friday, the hospital told Jay that Elizabeth was cleared to transfer. He was actively working with Dr. Geller, Dr. Jenike, the OCD Foundation and Rogers Hospital to figure out where would be best for Elizabeth to go. As far as Jay knew, BCH was on board and helping him figure this out. Then on Monday evening at about 5:30 pm he was told to be at Court the next morning when the State would attempt to take custody based on allegations made by BCH. We were in Court Tuesday morning.

The State has been placed in charge of Elizabeth’s care (because it has custody), but the Judge specifically instructed that she may not be moved to the hospital's locked psych unit. I do not fault the Judge for his decision on temporary custody. It's hard to explain in a few sentences... but when a Judge is confronted with the kind of accusations that were leveled against the Wrays, it would have been very difficult for him to simply dismiss the petition (although I tried to get him to do that). He heard me though, and he protected her as much as he felt that he could - given the circumstances - by specifying that she should not be moved pending his final decision. We are scheduled to go back to court on October 23rd. Her parents are in agony knowing that she may suffer for another three weeks at BCH.

Below is the list of the names I was given by the State of those at BCH who spoke with Child Protective Services about having the State of Massachusetts take custody of Elizabeth away from her parents. I have provided as much contact information as possible. Call them. Email them. Make them understand that there are thousands of parents standing behind the Wrays. You may want to begin by sending to this email which is a general for the hospital but I want you to do more http://childrenshospital.org/email.cfm?s=1394&c=7&u=webteam

I want you to call the hospital and ask for these people. I want you to leave voicemails if you don't reach them. They need to know that this movement is only going to grow. Will you do that for us? The general number at the hospital is 617-355-6000. I want the switchboard jammed. Begin every call with “I’m calling about Elizabeth Wray. Please connect me to ...” I want your voices to be so strong and so many that - maybe - then they’ll begin to get it. I want them to know that parents are not longer going to bring their children to BCH. And I want them to know that they cannot hide behind the cloak of the State.

As far as emails, from the few that I know it appears that the pattern is first.last@childrens.harvard.edu

Here are the specific people I was told that the State spoke with:
Dr. Othman Mohammad
Dr. Simona Bigourno
Dr. Gary Gosselin gary.gosselin@childrens.harvard.edu fax 617-730-0917
Dr. Lydia Shrier 617-355-7181
Elizabeth Holleran, child abuse social worker
Deb Sorentino, child protection team
Ellen Rothstein, Esq. Associate General Counsel Ellen.Rothstein@childrens.harvard.edu

Others to contact would be:
James Mandell, Chief Executive Officer
Sandra Fenwick, President & Chief Operating Officer
Stuart Novick, General Counsel 617-355-4937 Stuart.Novick@childrens.harvard.edu

This is a link to the entire leadership team http://www.childrenshospital.org/about/Site1394/mainpageS1394P4.html

Many of you have asked if you can help with a donation. Jay wants to be clear that he is, "not the type to ask for money," but if you want to help he will gratefully accept. He is the family breadwinner and is presently on medical leave from his job where he has worked for the same employer in customer service for fifteen years. His family home is more than five hours from Boston. His family has living expenses in Boston, a huge liability for all the "co-pays" that will be charged for hospital stay, legal fees, expenses at home to manage, and no end in sight. He asks that checks be made to “Beth Maloney Esq. Trust Account” and indicate "for Elizabeth Wray" on the check. The mailing address is Beth Maloney, Esq., P.O. Box 468, Kennebunkport, ME 04046

I wish I could write more. I am so exhausted that can only imagine how the family feels. I keep picturing Sammy in that hospital bed, unable to walk, screaming as they try to force food down his throat.

Be our voice.

Beth


__._,_.___
Recent Activity:
    .


    __,_._,___


    post signature

    5 comments:

    John Mansur said...

    Check out the comprehensive story on the Elizabeth Wray scandal by Margaret Gordon at FIGHTING PANDAS:

    Parents Lose Custody in Battle over Parental Rights in Child’s Medical Care

    http://bit.ly/VTkDM4

    KC said...

    Thank you John Mansur for posting this link to the comprehensive story. I read your post yesterday and shared it on my facebook wall as well.

    John Mansur said...

    Thanks, KC!

    Margaret Gordon's article now has 12,117 page views in just 48 hours.

    Keep the information circulating in your social online and other networks.

    We will free Elizabeth Wray, and I hope her sufferings at the hands of Boston Children's Hospital will bring national publicity to the cause of PANDAS kids.

    Athanasius Kircher said...

    Excellent! Just received this Media Advisory:


    October 11, 2012 CONTACT: Lynn Johnson
    PANDAS Resource Network
    757.642.8700


    ** MEDIA ADVISORY **

    Rally to Support Family who lost Parental Rights over
    Sick Child to Boston Children’s Hospital

    Oct. 11 – 13, Blackfan Circle and Longwood Ave. Boston
    Supporters working to return Elizabeth Wray to the care of her parents are holding a 3 day demonstration at Boston Children's Hospital to protest a lack of proper treatment for Wray's autoimmune disease Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders (PANS). Boston Children's Hospital blocked Elizabeth's parents from seeking treatment at a different facility by having their custody taken away and placed with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. They and their lawyer are currently under a gag order at BCH's request.
    What: A rally to return Elizabeth Wray to her parents for proper care and ask that Boston Children's Hospital recognize PANS for the legitimate medical condition that it is, and stop treating it is a psychiatric disorder.

    When: Oct. 11, 12, 13 2012, 8am-3pm

    Where: Blackfan Circle and Longwood Avenue across from Boston Children's Hospital


    Elizabeth Wray Story: http://www.fightingpandas1.blogspot.com/

    The PANDAS Resource Network represents 4,000 families affected by this little known disorder.

    Lynn M. Johnson
    Executive Director
    PANDAS Resource Network
    www.PandasResourceNetwork.org
    757.642.8700
    lynnj0750@msn.com

    KC said...

    Thank you so much for passing this along. I was planning on making the 11 hour trip from Ohio to Boston for this today,(They are doing it for three days Thurs, Fri and Sat) I was going to be traveling along with another PANDAS mom. She is there now supporting Elizabeth and all of our chidren suffering from PANDAS.. I sadly could not make it due to a death in the family, My husbands uncle passed away and the viewing is today and funeral is tomorrow... but I'm there in prayers. Thank you again.