Posted on 03/12/2009 12:09:05 PM PDT by Paved Paradise
CLEVELAND — Willie Robinson's parents claimed they couldn't afford medical treatment for the dying 8-year-old boy's cancer, prosecutors said, but they had enough money to pay a veterinarian to treat their pet pit bull for fleas. A Cuyahoga County grand jury on Wednesday indicted William Robinson Sr. and Monica Hussing for involuntary manslaughter, child endangering and felonious assault.
Willie died nearly a year ago, on March 22, shortly after he was admitted to MetroHealth Medical Center suffering from the final stages of Hodgkin's lymphoma, one of the most common and curable of cancers to strike children. The county coroner found that the child died of the cancer and pneumonia, but ruled his death a homicide.
Prosecutors said parental neglect was as responsible for Willie's death as the diseases.
"They never once took him to a doctor," said County Prosecutor Bill Mason. "It just is not right. This kid should be alive today."
Investigators said while Willie suffered without care, his parents paid $87 to have the pit bull, Petey, treated for fleas.
Assistant County Prosecutor Anna Faraglia worked on the case for the past year with police and family members. She said she is outraged by how the parents ignored a child who begged them to take him to see a doctor, but was rejected.
"There were some horrific symptoms," she said. "What weren't they seeing? Even a blind person would have known there was something wrong with him."
The parents were not arrested Wednesday, and have remained free since Willie's death. They will appear in court for an arraignment hearing in about two weeks, Faraglia said.
It is one of the most “cost-effective” cancers to treat? It’s still expensive. When I went through non-Hodgekins Lymphoma (yes, the deadlier variety), it was actually the cost I stated. We went through every single bill. I joked with my dad that I could go back and take another aspirin, and he looked at me and said it would be $3 over then.
An innocent child is dead. It’s a tragedy. If he’d made it to care in time and the parents couldn’t afford it, and he was placed in sub-standard care, you’d be riled up that he couldn’t afford the care.
Something happens to people sometimes, and they go into a state of denial. I’ve seen it before.
I had a roommate who passed away one night early on in a week. His mother came back for the next 4 days and kept wandering around looking for him. She was told several times by the nurses that he was gone, and she kept saying it had to be that he was getting a test.
I sat with him the night he passed away and talked to him. He was very calm. And he finally closed his eyes and just stopped. It was like he was sleeping, but he wasn’t breathing. I called the nurse and she came in. He told me she wouldn’t take it well. He was right.
I’m sorry your mother had cancer twice. My uncle had a brain tumor and through his two rounds of treatment, it cost the family, the insurance company, the church volunteers who pitched in financially to help, and his brothers and sister, nearly $1.5 million over the 4 years for the care, Hospice, medicine, hospital stays, etc.
Please don’t tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’ve been there, I’ve walked through all aspects of it, and have cancer hanging over my head daily. Every lump, bump, bruise, rough spot or just general bad feeling brings on the worry, and every day, when I get up, I feel the pain from the 27 spinal taps, the 9 bone marrow tests the 1 epidural patch in my back. Please don’t try to tell me you know what I know.
The parents seem to have been somewhat low-life scum. But, the dog story was designed to inflame, not inform. And the fact of the matter is that they probably didn’t realize or understand. Because they were ignorant parents, bad parents, etc, they probably didn’t understand how serious it was and just thought the boy was whining.
And you say you have real life experiences. Tell me, how many cancer patients have you held the hand of and counselled as they were taking their last breaths? I know how many I did.
How many cancer patients did you raise money for to have better resources? I know how many I did.
How many cancer patients have you shared a hospital room with? I know how many I have.
How many needles have you had stuck in you for various procedures and treatments? I know roughly how many I have (I still lose count of the one week).
How many times have you had to have your teeth worked on because of the wear and tear that throwing up from chemo wore away the enamal of your teeth?
How many times have you had to pass up a drink of soda or a bite of bread or a steak because that week, the chemo had changed your taste buds to a point where they tasted like licking an aluminum can?
How many times have you had a needle stuck in your back and told “Don’t move”?
How many times have you had to lay in bed at night praying that tonight would be your last because it hurt to damn bad to continue?
Do you want me to continue, or do you realize that I actually DO have the experience that you claim so righteously to have?
People like you make me sick.
You think you know everything about a situation and when someone comes along who has real experience, you claim they’re lying. I can guarantee you that I know more about the pain of chemo than I would ever hope you do. If you have to go through it, you’ll understand, but no matter how much anger you bring out in your dismissive, condesending and arrogant assault on my honor, I’d never wish it on you. And THAT comes from experience. Not “Go away please and waste no more of my time”.
And no, I’m not willing to post a bill on here. I was in the Children’s Cancer Caring Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami off and on from September 1, 1986 through October 5, 1987.
I had double-coverage because both my parents worked for the same coverage, so we ended up paying none of the expenses. We went back after the last bill was done, and we added it up for the curiosity factor.
When I was asked to participate in the Make-A-Wish Foundation program, I asked to, and was granted the wish to meet Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart. Current US House Representative Dan Gelber was working with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and he facilitated the meeting. I hate that hes’ a Democrat, but I remain grateful to him for what he did for a kid he’d never met until then, all to make it so that my chemo was easier.
Any more information you’d like?
I didn’t mean to imply by my ‘hmm’ that it had anything to do with you, just the hospital charging so darn much. They seem to get away with murder and there’s not much you can do about it. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
Some people have extreme fear of all authority figures, including doctors, often with good reason from past experience.
I should have added that these people did not believe that the kid was going to die because they were too concerned with themselves. That’s where the stupid comes in.
Yeah, Norplant. I didn’t know that it no longer available in the US. It was withdrawn from the market, not banned. They still sell in Europe.
I knew someone who used it a few years ago. She was an ethnic studies major at the time and she didn’t say, but I am sure that the school recommended this to all the ethnic studies majors. Sounds pretty racist to me. She had nearly everyone of the unpleasant side affects and finally had it removed after two years, but it took another six months for the affects to wear off.
I still think that social services should recommend it for people like the parents in this article.
Paved Paradise is right - I hope you others don’t have children, because no good parent would watch his/her child suffering in pain while refusing to take him to the doctor!!! If my child were suffering and begging to see a doctor, I would rush him to the doctor, no matter what it cost me! I would sell everything I own, to save my child, and any DECENT human parent would do the same!!! To any of you who think that money is more important than your child’s life - that is just sick!
Read more, talk less.
THe child had a treatable disease. How can you possibly defend parents who don’t take a pain ridden child to the doctor to see what is wrong?
Did you even read the article.
THey did not ever take him to a doctor. THis was not a case of no money or no insurance. THey never even took him to see what was wrong.
Keep reading.
Who ever said that a good parent would watch their child suffer? Of course a good parent would do whatever they could to help their child. Whether they spent $xx on flea control instead of taking the kid to the doctor is not the point. The point is they didn't take the kid to the doctor.
As an additional topic I discussed my thoughts on socialized medicine;which is exactly what we have in the USA right now in the way of our tax money being taken to go to pay for low/no income people.
As SubmarineNuke pointed out, sometimes people don't want to admit how much they are like the socialists we, or at least I, are fighting against.
I understand that some think it's okay for the government to take money away from "the rich" to give to "the poor". Some of us think it's not okay. As one that thinks it's not okay, I think it's unfortunate that my and other's ideas, based on the government's power spelled out in the Constitution, are met with being judged an unfit parent and condescended to by being called "kiddo".
None of them said that the parents were “good” parents. Just stupid, and afraid, etc.
Yes, decent human beings on the most part, if they realize their child is that sick, do so.
Honestly, I can say my parents were decent human beings, but frankly, were in a serious state of denial. Hell, I was even in denial.
But, these “parents” basically didn’t understand. They didn’t have a clue. They were idiots. No excuse for their stupidity, but the people trying to explain don’t seem to be trying to justify, just explain.
Oh brother... you sound like a real blast to be around (offended by being called kiddo).
Cancer care is expensive. I could pay for my dog to get some pet grooming but my mother stayed at Memorial Sloan Cancer Center for nine days, including one in ICU. The bill for the blood transfusion alone was a thousand dollars :(
Actually, I was offended by being called “wrong”. :)
Well, then prepared to be offended very regularly in your life. And you put the words “kiddo” in quotes FYI.
Of course, I see that you are saying this in good humor. I really hope that you are not so easily offended. I think Dennis Prager’s views on being offended are excellent.
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