When a fully grown adult decides to quit fighting an illness and decides to call it quits, no one may question the family's decision. However, news broke out about parents honoring the decision of their 5-year old child to go to heaven instead of the hospital.
Juliana Snow, a 5-year old child suffering from a neurodegenerative illness called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, or CMT, chose to go to heaven instead of the hospital when asked by her mother Michelle. In an extensive CNN report, Michelle posted on her blog the interaction between her and her daughter Julianna chose not to go to the hospital even if it means her dying.
"Julianna, if you get sick again, do you want to go to the hospital again or stay home? ", this is the question that Michelle initially asked Juliana.
Juliana then answered "Not the hospital" which prompted Michelle to explain to the little girl that not going to the hospital or receiving treatment might cause her death. Crying, Michelle further explained that "Mommy and Daddy will not be there with her right away" in which Julianna just responded for them to not worry as God will take care of her. This answer further brought Michelle to tears as she went on to explain that bringing Juliana to the hospital may cause her to have more time with Mommy and Daddy however the little girl seemed to have made up her mind and choose to face death than fight the battle of the incurable disease.
This is the conversation that moved a lot of readers gaining both positive and negative views on the parents' decision in honoring the child's decision.
Michelle in an interview with CNN said that Juliana has made it clear to them that she doesn't want to go to the hospital and receive treatment any more so letting her go according to their (the parents) plan will just be selfish.
"If she gets sick, we'll ask her again, and we'll honor her wishes," Michelle added during the interview.
This is the part that made a lot of people react. Many people think that a 5-year old child should not be the one making this call and it should be her parents, as she is not "mature" enough to decide about facing death.
Dr. Chris Feudtner, a pediatrician and ethicist in Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, however thinks that Juliana's experience is enough for her to make the decision.
"To say her experience is irrelevant doesn't make any sense. She knows more than anyone what it's like to be not a theoretical girl with a progressive neuromuscular disorder, but to be Julianna," Dr. Feudtner said in the CNN report.
Juliana is suffering from a disease that is acquired genetically. In the CNN journal documentary, it was found out that the defective genes came from his father who is also suffering a very mild kind of CMT and therefore the reason why he did not show any symptoms of it.
Michelle is a neurologist which made it possible for her to see the early symptoms of the disease in Juliana. Steve on the other hand is an Air Force pilot. The couple, who are both Christians, admitted that they originally planned to bring Juliana back to the hospital if another infection happened. Michelle also admitted that she is still "scared of what is to come" and afraid of the thought of losing their child, in a Huffington Post report.
