Cassandra C. Is In Remission, Still Upset About Forced Chemo
Cassandra C. is in remission after nearly six months of chemotherapy. However, the Connecticut teen said she is still upset that she is being forced to receive to cancer treatment. Although the chemo may have saved her life, the 17-year old said she should have a right to refuse the medication.
In September 2014, Cassandra C. was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. As reported by CNN, the teen was given an 85 percent chance of survival — if she received chemotherapy.
Although she was well aware of the risks, Cassandra made a conscious decision to forgo treatment. However, her doctors, and local officials, disagreed.
As the teen missed several medical appointments, her mother was reported to the Connecticut Department of Children and Families for neglect.
Cassandra C. insists that the choice was hers alone, and her mother was simply supporting her decision. However, the teen was eventually removed from her mother’s home and placed in foster care.
As reported by Hartford Courant, Cassandra was permitted to return to her mother’s home on one condition — she was ordered to report for chemotherapy.
The teen said she “endured two days” of treatment. However, she was devastated that she was forced to receive the medication against her will. As she refused further treatment, and did not want to return to foster care, Cassandra C. ran away from home.
Cassandra eventually surrendered to DCF, as she feared her mother would be arrested. The teen was immediately taken to a local hospital, where she was forced to receive chemotherapy.
“I should have had the right to say no, but I didn’t. I was strapped to a bed by my wrists and ankles and sedated. I woke up in the recovery room with a port surgically placed in my chest. I was outraged and felt completely violated. My phone was taken away, the hospital phone was removed from my room and even the scissors I used for art were taken.”
As reported by ABC News, the teen remains hospitalized at the Connecticut Medical Center. However, Cassandra C.’s cancer is in remission.
Connecticut teen Cassandra C on forced chemo: ‘I will never be okay with… being strapped to the bed’: http://t.co/daeh754ZA7 via @NBCNews
— Bill Briggs (@writerdude) March 10, 2015
Cassandra said “the chemo wasn’t as bad as [she] thought it would be” and she is thankful to be in remission. However, she is still upset that the treatment was forced against her will.
Windsor Locks teen known for battling state over chemo now in remission, according to sources http://t.co/sccmShuzBg pic.twitter.com/YvSSmODx26
— Hartford Courant (@hartfordcourant) March 8, 2015
Although Cassandra C. is in remission, she remains in the custody of the DCF. A juvenile court hearing, which is scheduled for next week, will determine whether the teen will be returned to her mother’s care.
[Image via Facebook]
