A teen who once refused to undergo chemotherapy for a curable cancer is now in remission.
Cassandra C, 17, of Windsor Locks, CT, is finally in remission from Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, she had to battle it out first with the state when she refused to go through chemotherapy and instead ran away from the health care facility to be with her mother, Jackie Fortin.
The state has decided to intervene and compelled her to go through the treatment. Now that she has only 2 months to go and a few days of treatment per week left, she wants to go back to her home and be with her mother.
According to Josh Michtom, the assistant public defender, they are going to bring her appeal to the court by next week, March 16, hoping she'll be allowed to continue with her treatment outside the facility. While she's there, she didn't have visits from her mother.
In her Facebook post, she shared the positive news about her remission from her cancer, which she called "a nightmare" she needs to get over with. She also mentioned that it will mean the world to her if she can finally come home for the remainder of the treatment.
However, it looks like the Department of Children and Families have other things in mind including placing her in a group home once she's finally out of the hospital.
Cassandra was diagnosed with cancer in September last year. If she goes through chemotherapy, her chances of survival are 85%. However, she was insistent in making her own decisions and so ran away from the medical facility. The state also alleged that they missed their appointments, which the mother denied.
The matter was brought to court with Cassandra and her mother using previous cases in other states where children below 18 were allowed to make decisions on her own. But the state's supreme court ruled that she wasn't mature enough to make such decisions. She was brought to the hospital in December where she's receiving her treatments. She'll be turning 18 by September this year.