"I have a mind like a steel... uh... thingy." Patrick Logan's weblog.

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Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Where You Find It

The Portland Tribune has a story about a local boy dying after having
been ill (shortness of breath, stomach cramps) for a week. His family
believes in "faith healing" and does not believe in western medicine
or apparently any medicine. (What would they consider food?)

http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121379440855614400

Religion is what it is for each individual and family. In this case I
don't think the boy was given a choice, let alone the tools to make up
his own mind. That's not unusual. Most religion is passed down I
suspect.

As a Type I diabetic who knows almost nothing about health or
medicine, I have to say what little description this article provides
of the boy's symptoms, and the duration of them before his death,
*could* indicate Type I diabetes. This is a very manageable illness,
and whatever the true cause of death, the week in which the family
could have sought treatment but did not, was tragically long.

The boy also happens to be the cousin of a baby girl who also died
after the family refused medical treatment. Does this family simply
rationalize that their god does not love them? Or does not love these
specific kids? Or that everyone just dies when they die? (Which again
makes me wonder, why does anyone in their family eat meals?)

Filed under "apparently unnecessary tragedies to children, but I don't
understand".

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About Me

Portland, Oregon, United States
I'm usually writing from my favorite location on the planet, the pacific northwest of the u.s. I write for myself only and unless otherwise specified my posts here should not be taken as representing an official position of my employer. Contact me at my gee mail account, username patrickdlogan.