This just caught my eye:
UK girl refuses lifesaving heart surgery
A 13-year-old British girl who has undergone almost a dozen operations in her young life has refused a heart transplant in a decision that may ultimately lead to her death.
Hannah Jones, who was diagnosed with leukemia and later a heart condition, told her parents and medical authorities that she would rather spend her remaining time at home than in the hospital.
Health authorities have ceded to the decision after interviewing the girl.
“I’ve been in hospital too much – I’ve had too much trauma,” Hannah Jones told Sky News on Tuesday. “I don’t want this, and it’s my choice not to have it.”
Hannah was diagnosed with leukemia when she was four-years-old. Chemotherapy put her into remission but doctors then discovered she had cardiomyopathy, a serious disease where the heart muscle becomes swollen and sometimes fails.
The girl’s story surfaced when parents complained about hospital officials who sent a social worker to interview the girl about her choice. (Read whole article here)
I was watching a video about her earlier, and she said she doesn’t want to go to hospitals anymore since she spent a lot of time in hospitals, having been sick since four years old. I could just imagine: people having to stick needles into your body how many times, being fed by tubes and machines; that’s scary. And Hannah had to keep going back there for many years.
It’s interesting how she also said she’s not really scared of dying, and that she’s willing to accept the consequences if her heart fails her. As Dumbledore in HP said, “Death is but the next great adventure.” (I can’t resist quoting that)
What a brave girl. I wish you all the best, Hannah Jones. :)
