Boy Who Refused Blood Transfusion Dies

Jehovah's Witness, 14, Dies Hours After Judge Upholds His Right To Refuse Medical Treatment

(AP)  A few hours after a judge ruled that a 14-year-old Jehovah's Witness sick with leukemia had the right to refuse a blood transfusion that might have helped him, the boy died, a newspaper reported.

Dennis Lindberg died Wednesday night at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, his father, Dennis Lindberg Sr., told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Hospital spokeswoman Teri Thomas said she could not confirm or deny anything about the case at the request of the boy's legal guardian, his aunt Dianna Mincin.

Earlier Wednesday, Skagit County Superior Court Judge John Meyer had denied a motion by the state to force the boy to have a blood transfusion. The judge said the eighth-grader knew "he's basically giving himself a death sentence."

"I don't believe Dennis' decision is the result of any coercion. He is mature and understands the consequences of his decision," the judge said during the hearing. "I don't think Dennis is trying to commit suicide. This isn't something Dennis just came upon, and he believes with the transfusion he would be unclean and unworthy."

Doctors had given Dennis a 70 percent chance of surviving the next five years with the transfusions and other treatment, the judge added.

Doctors diagnosed the boy's leukemia in early November. They began chemotherapy at Children's Hospital, but stopped a week ago because his blood count was too low, the Skagit Valley Herald reported. The boy refused the transfusion on religious grounds.

However, his birth parents, Lindberg and Rachel Wherry, who do not have custody and flew from Boise, Idaho, to be at the hearing, believed their son should have had the transfusion and suggested he had been unduly influenced by his aunt, who is also a Jehovah's Witness.

The aunt has declined to talk about the case.

The boy's father told the Post-Intelligencer the ruling shocked him but after visiting his son later Wednesday, he decided not to appeal. He said doctors told him that the boy, unconscious since Tuesday, had likely suffered brain damage.

[timeisrunningout]

in reality the boy believed blood is sacred just as the bible teaches. He had faith and showed acts of faith. Calling ones that try their best to live by bible principles "religious nuts" is so insulting and shows no love for neighbor.

[chad16437]

The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version (published 1971) Gen 9:4, 16 "Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood... remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature." Lev 17:14 "For the life of every creature is the blood of it... You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off." Lev 7:26,27 "Moreover you shall eat no blood whatever... Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people." Acts 15:28, 29 "For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from... blood. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell." Acts 21:25 "But as for the Gentiles who have believed... they should abstain from... blood." 1 Sam 15:22 "... to obey is better than sacrifice." Mark 8:35,36 "For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel''s will save it. For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" John 11:25 "Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live" John 5:28,29 "the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life..." Titus 1:2 "in hope of eternal life which God, who never lies, promised ages ago"

[my2centss]

This boy sounds like he was a very strong and brave child. Who else when faced with unbearable pain and certain death could hold their principles? At 14 even.

[michellem99-2009]

Gramma , If the boy is ward of the State as a minor as he had foster parents,the Judge is wrong. Yer has to be a emancipated and that make ye an adult even at his age. But if not he was a child. I only met one teen that was emancipated. That is was when We lived in MO we knew Tim. Gram, I like ye. Yer think abortion is entered to lightly..It is not. If there is a health reason then yer rather the female who is too sick to carry the unborn. I think not.
Now back to this boy. I don''t think a religion should deny medial care. I have met persons of that church and they are cold to outsiders. We have sep of church and atate.

[libsluvsuvs]

Posted by Nancy_Naive at 01:48 PM : Dec 01, 2007
+ report abuse

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so what do you want??for GOD to miracle you a quality of life??hate the religion but dont hate GOD as the saying goes..SUCKA!

[grammawhamma]

This kid was 14 years old...he had cancer. You people are all bent out of shape because "religion". The kid had cancer...a bad form of cancer. A blood transfusion would not have saved his life...only maybe prolonged it for a while so he could get more chemo and be miserably ill for a longer time. No one knows for sure...but he was 14 and made his choice. Respect his decision!! and may he rest in peace.

[grammawhamma]

I wonder why and how the parents lost custody of their son, and which judge decided the boy was better off with a jehovah witness. Also, when did minors get the right to decide to refuse medical teatments to save their life? At what age would this judge allow a minor to make such an important decision? 12,10,8?


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Posted by kaviz at 11:58 AM : Nov 30, 2007

Why are minors allowed to have abortions without notification to their parents at this age and even younger since this is also a life and death decision!!??

[grammawhamma]

a 14 old is not allowed to smoke and drink alcohol and have ***..... but he is allowed to die???????


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Posted by GURUknows at 12:42 PM : Nov 30, 2007

Yeah I guess so...just like a 14 year old girl can have an abortion and kill her unborn child.

[hereticzero-2009]

Then there is the case of the little girl, and I''m sorry I can''t remember the state this was in, but she had cancer and the doctors warned that taking radiation along with chemo could bring her cancer out of remission. So her parents did not want her to go through with the radiation. The state took her daughter away and forced her parents to subject her to the other therapy and when the cancer came back as incurable, the state returned the girl to her family. Praise God... the do-gooders of the state got their way and a girl is now dying from what was once in remission. Every person has the right to refuse any care they so choose to refuse.

If the court wanted me to poison my children with the *** they call medication, the court can hand it to the kids on their own cuz I will go to jail before I force that stuff down the throat of my kids.

You have no idea the agony children and adults go through with cancer. Any choice they make is the correct choice. Take the treatment and indure years of continued agony or not and let god decide what happens. It is up to the patient, yes or no. Either choice is the right choice.

[gramto7]

PS. Newster is right.. the doctors said the kid''s blood count (meaning the cell count) was too low. The kid needed the red blood cells which are not available except through real blood or packed RBC''s derived from real blood.