Family, community support chemo decision

(Update)
After an emotional meeting today on the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation reserve, a girl who made national headlines for refusing to accept chemotherapy for her cancer, has been told the treatments won`t be forced on her and she wont be taken away from her family. Members of the reserve had pleaded the case and, in the end, the Children’s Aid Society said it will not intervene by force.

Eleven year old Makayla Sault made headlines this month with this YouTube video: “And I’m writing this letter to tell you that this chemo that I’m on is killing my body and I cannot take it any more. It has brought me to the point where I have to get carried everywhere and had to get everything done for me because I felt so sick. I have asked my mom and dad to take me off this treatment.”

Makayla was on chemo for leukemia, and when her parents decided to call off the treatment they were afraid the Children’s Aid Society my try to take her away by force, with doctors saying she risked death without the chemo.

But after meeting with the family and others on the New Credit First Nation, Brant Family and Children’s Services said they won’t try to take Makayla away or force her into treatment.

Sally Rivers/Brant Children’s Society: “We’ve decided that Makayla is not in need of protection, that she has a loving, caring family and that Makayla’s family, her community, her nation, have chosen a different form of medical treatment to address her cancer and we’re satisfied with that issue.”

The New Credit Chief says Makayla’s parents are overjoyed with the decision. He says First Nations people saw children being taken away during the residential school nightmare, and don’t want to see that again.

Brian Laforme/New Credit Chief: “It’s a success. Now, we as political people have to do our job and make it known that we as First Nations people have special rights and we’re sovereign and we have our own jurisdictions and that no one can come in and apprehend our young people, especually our future. You know we went through that once before and we’re not going to allow it to happen again.”

Makayla’s family says she’s being treated with traditional medicine, and Makayla says she’s not afraid: “So the biggest part is Jesus told me I am healed so it doesn’t matter what anybody says. God the Creator has the final say over my life.”

Brant Children’s Services says they’re still available to help the family if they need it. And McMaster Children’s Hospital released a statement tonight says it respects the Society’s decision. They say their door is always open to provide care for Makayla and her family.