Mom Charged After Son's 'Highly Curable' Cancer Goes Untreated
A 36-year-old mother has been charged with child endangerment for allegedly failing to see that her 8-year-old son got follow-up treatment for his “highly curable” cancer.
The boy, who is autistic, is now back in the hospital with a recurrence of his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and is not expected to survive, ABC News reports. Originally, when he was first treated for the cancer and it went into remission, he was given up to a 92 percent chance of survival, according to his father.
The boy’s mother, Kristen Labrie, has pleaded not guilty to child endangerment in Salem District Court in Massachusetts, and has been released on her own recognizance and ordered to have no contact with her son. She allegedly missed numerous treatment appointments for her son, and apparently didn’t pick up any medication for him.
Dr. Kara Kelly of Columbia University Medical Center, who is not involved in the case, says some parents have trouble complying with recommended treatment for their children. “I think it’s sometimes not being able to face reality,” she tells the network. “Parents sometimes are young or overwhelmed with financial issues.”
