Update on a baby and a ventilator.

16 month old Baby T still can't see his mother and the Medical Consequences.

Since Friday August 18th, 2023, 16 month old Baby Theo has been removed from his mother’s arms. A social worker perhaps together with the pediatricians at BC Children’s hospital prohibited all contact between baby and mother. (With permission of his parents, I am using Baby Theo’s real name instead of “Baby T”, because I suspect if Baby Theo could speak he would be happy if his real name helped him connect with more people and improve his chances of seeing his mother, father and 3 sisters).

Theo’s saga until 2 weeks ago I describe in :

Thanks to legal help from a woman and man who hold no oaths to the crown, a court hearing was secured on August 30th before Justice McQueen at British Columbia provincial court.

However, this hearing before a Judge failed to produce any order restoring contact between 16 month old Theo and his mother. Despite the fact that I informed Justice McQueen in no uncertain terms, that her failure to rule on the matter made her a party to child abuse, she adjourned the case anyway for another 5 months. According to Justice McQueen, making a baby wait over a quarter of his life to have contact again with his family is not a problem.

Why Judges entitle themselves to be unlawful I describe in a “Criminal Surprise”.

Here’s what the social worker wrote on August 31st, a day after the court hearing. No redactions. (The seven figures in taxes that I have paid over my life mean that I, along with everyone else, paid for this. We have a right to see all of what we bought when we funded the Ministry of Children and Development).

Wait, the SOCIAL WORKER is threatening to involve the POLICE over parents sharing stories of their Baby?

Let’s read Jennifer Donnelly’s letter again:

“…,a Client who’s legal guardianship was temporarily awarded to the Ministry by the Court on April 19th…”

Sparing you a all the legal paperwork, the ministry of Children and Family development had consent through a lawyer for 3 months of temporary Guardianship starting on April 19th, 2023.

August comes 4 months after April so the “temporary guardianship” described in the letter posted has long expired.

On August 17th, the parents made a recording of their attempt to get Theo back. The article published about Theo’s case went online on August 19th… all of which is after the temporary guardianship expired.

Why is this social worker involving the police when their guardianship order has already expired?

“…a child in care, such as your child, has a right to reasonable privacy…”

So is Jennifer Donnelly claiming that the police can “Enforce” privacy on children who were previously “in care”?

If so, how long?

Are police going to investigate every time Theo’s parents talk with other parents FOREVER?

He can never be seen on TV? The Internet? Share a public social media profile because of a child’s “right to reasonable privacy” that benefits no one except the ministry?

Is this Catholic Residential school child abuse being hidden for decades because of “Privacy” all over again?

How many parents out there have Go Fund Me’s for their sick children?

If social workers are involved, is this Jennifer Donnelly now going to call the police on EVERY parent who posts a story about their child in NEED?

What is wrong with Jennifer Donnelly?

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I’m a medical doctor. Maybe I can find out.

Having seen a photo of her, she looks to be about 40 times the age of Baby Theo and about 15 times his size. She appears to be a well fed and wearing relatively appropriate clothes purchased sometime over this past decade. There were no signs of poverty or disheveled comportment. Mental illness is not high on my list of suspicions. But I cannot rule it out because of the conversation Jennifer Donnelly had with Baby Theo’s father. Jennifer’s statements overall raise suspicion.

The audio is 17 minutes long, but worth listening to because from a Psychiatric point of view, there are a number of clues, when taken in context of the whole situation, are suggestive of an Axis II personality disorder.

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Psychiatric speculation aside, her actions against Theo and his parents are inexplicable from a medical standpoint.

Is she claiming to be protecting a baby by depriving him of his mother?

What would possess a fully grown and portly adult with no signs of malnutrition or dishevelment, to deliberately harm a baby?

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Maybe I need to look at things from a SOCIAL WORK PERSPECTIVE.

The Social work “Facts of Removal” report on Theo, claims that he is in need of medical protection. These claimed “Facts” were written by Breanne Lande.

However, the Breanne Lande’s “Facts” about February 15th, contradict the Doctor and the Nurse who actually examined Baby Theo that day.

Doctor:

Nurse:

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Who is the liar here?

The Doctor and Nurse who examined Baby Theo?

OR

The Social Worker Breanne Lande who has no medical expertise?

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How about the patient’s perspective?

Baby Theo is a 16 month old baby who has undergone multiple surgeries and survived 1 major post operative infection.

Through all these painful surgeries, recoveries with setbacks, and for at least 8 months prior to birth,¹ Theo has FELT his mother by his side…UNTIL 2 WEEKS AGO.

What effect does this have on the mental status of a Baby?

(Dr. Nagase, are you asking us to speculate on the mental status of a Baby who can’t even speak yet?… Yes)

If you ever wondered how my mind works as a doctor here it is: (draw your own conclusions)

• Observations:

  • When I first walked in the room and Theo saw me for the first time he started crying.

  • When he saw his mother the crying stopped.

  • Theo smiled and played afterwards.

• Context: (From the Baby’s perspective)

  • a Doctor is someone who changes every week, comes in, pokes and prods for 15 to 20 minutes a day, has a cold stethoscope, sometimes does painful surgeries and never stays to play.

  • Mother and Father are the same every day, provide comfort and stay to play for hours. When something is painful they sooth the injury.

• Analysis: (From the Baby’s perspective)

  • Is an unknown stranger who seems like a doctor coming in the room something to cry about?

  • Does the arrival of a familiar person who was present every day an indication everything is OK?

  • Is it time to stop crying and start playing?

• Interpretation (From my perspective)

  • Theo started crying at the appearance of a doctor who’s presence often is associated with discomfort and sometimes pain. No reward consisting of play or comfort is associated with these types of people.

  • Theo stopped crying at the appearance of his mother who’s presence indicates comfort, play and love.

• Conclusion

  • The mental status of Theo is normal for his age.

  • Ability to observe the environment and adjust behavior to different types of people is present.

  • Recognition of safety and comfort as well as adjustment of behavior to changes in context is present.

• Discussion: (Medical Reasoning)

  • Daily absence of primary sources of comfort in a Baby with a normal mental status will likely cause stress.

  • Stress increases cortisol levels in the blood (stress hormones)

  • 2 weeks of deprivation from the only consistent source of comfort present from birth and prior will likely cause continuous exposure to elevated levels of stress hormone.

  • Persistently elevated stress hormone levels impair the immune system and development.

  • Cartilage development is also impaired by steroid hormones such as cortisol.

• Consequences:

  • Increased infections from reduced immune function from elevated cortisol caused by stress.

  • Decreased development of critical structures such as tracheal cartilage.

  • Mental stressors for a Baby can cause physical harms.

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Back to the Social Work Perspective:

The social work “story” is that they were called to give protection to Baby Theo because “the child has been, or is likely to be, physically harmed by the child’s parent” (The social worker Breanne Lande’s words not mine).

Just who has been causing Physical harm to baby Theo over the past 2 weeks?

the parents?

or

social workers?

Is Jennifer Donnelly “doing good” by harming Baby Theo in order to “Punish” the parents?

If so for what?

(Was it my visit to observe and offer a medically reasonable and physiologically sound² plan to the a pediatrician in Training and staff Pediatrician Annie Dmytryshyn?)

If you can’t believe another human being, never mind a social worker, would do something so horrible as to harm a baby to punish the parents, have another listen to Jennifer Donnelly talking and make your own conclusion.

What is wrong with Jennifer Donnelly?

Theo’s mother has successfully raised 3 other children and is caring for Baby Theo in the same loving way. What could justify removing her from Baby Theo’s life?

Is Mz. Donnelly just following “Orders” from Breanne Lande?

Or is she spiting the parents by harming their Baby for another reason?

Does she hate families?

Is there something in her childhood or past that explains why?

I do not know. But a number of things about this picture do not make any sense, and we might have to resort to psychiatric explanations to comprehend what is happening.

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Threats: Do as I say or else…

Jennifer Donnelly’s threat to “involve” the police almost seems to fit the behavior of a “Crybully”.

(a bully who goes crying to an “authority” whenever the victim fights back)

In her letter, she threatens to go to tell the authorities (police) if her “victim” does not comply.

Who is the victim? Who is the Crybully trying to intimidate? A 16 month old BABY on a ventilator? Or is it the parents?

One aspect that sometimes occurs in bully / victim situations, is that the bully makes an “unreasonable” demand. When the victim fails to meet the unreasonable demand, the bully uses that as an excuse to “punish” the victim.

Here, a 16 month old baby, Theo, looks like he’s being used as the tool to punish 2 loving and devoutly Christian parents.

Does the social worker have something against religion? (Did she have a bad experience with it? Something akin to residential schools?)

Does she have something against parents? (Was there some kind of problem in the house she grew up in?)

Or does she have something against babies? (Did she have a bad experience with her or someone else’s baby?)

If you ever wonder how a psychiatrist thinks, the above is a good example. Particularly in forensic Psychiatry, where the patient has done something terrible, uncomfortable questions and uncomfortable answers must be considered. Otherwise the psychiatrist is not getting to the root causes of problems, and in my opinion failing as a doctor.

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Back to Medicine:

One of the principles I live by is to do unto others as I would do unto myself. The question I most often asked myself while working as a doctor is:

“Am I missing something?”

Until a patient gets better, or starts recovering, I always leave this question open in my mind.

One clue I missed while writing the previous article on Baby Theo was an offer for palliative care at the Canuck Place which is associated with BC Children’s hospital. Palliative care is end of life medical treatment where the goal is no longer the restoration of life. The Vancouver Canucks hockey team sponsors palliative care for children at an institution called “Canuck Place”. On December 9th, 2022, when Baby Theo was on respiratory assistance through a BiPap nasal mask, his parents were given a choice. Get the surgery for long term mechanical ventilation, or send Baby Theo to end of life care at Canuck Place.

Sorry for so much white out, there’s a number of names of people who may yet still be innocent in this matter. The important part is the very last sentence:

“The parents would also like rapid weaning of the respiratory support and we explained why Theo still requires respiratory support and that this would be dangerous for Theo UNLESS WE WERE WITHDRAWING CARE…”

When doctors (or any “authority” for that matter) tries to force someone into doing something they don’t want to do, one way is to give a false choice. e.g. You can do it the “Good Cop way” or else it will be the “Bad Cop way”. (The cops will deny the existence of a third way where an adjudicator reviews the evidence showing you’re the wrong guy)

In Baby Theo’s case, the Children’s Hospital Pediatricians gave the parents a choice:

Get your baby the surgery for long term ventilation…..

Or Die!

If you have doubts, read that last sentence very carefully. The choice of gradually reducing respiratory support to see if Baby Theo breathes on his own was ALWAYS there. (In fact breathing on his own is exactly what Theo did 2 months later.) But the doctors denied that path.

What happened when Theo’s parents refused both FALSE choices?

SOCIAL WORKERS got involved. They took temporary custody from the parents and on May 9th, consented to the surgery for long term mechanical ventilation AFTER BABY THEO WAS DOCUMENTED BREATHING ON HIS OWN!

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The Situation Today:

Baby Theo now has a tracheostomy, no reduction of his ventilator has been tried, and for 2 weeks he has been denied the comfort of the only family he knows. As a doctor, being aware of a patient’s overall condition is critical. If a mental issue such as stress is causing a physical issue such as an impaired immune system, then treatment must cover both spheres. In the case of Baby Theo, a lack of “weight gain” in the hands of a competent doctor, involves assessment of all possibilities, physical, mental and social.

Is the lack of weight gain accompanied by a lack of baby growth (Increasing in head to toe length and head circumference)? If so, is there a hormone deficiency of Thyroid Hormone or Growth Hormone? If so, what is causing the hormone deficiency? Is it primary ( a pituitary deficiency in the brain ) or secondary a hormone deficiency outside the brain? If the problem is “supratentorial” (in the brain), is it mechanical from a malformed skull — like Baby Theo’s skull? Or is it non-mechanical, i.e. psychological neglect or abandonment?

If the cause of harm to a patient is known, like a social worker who is causing unwarranted stress on a baby, then a competent doctor must remove the source of damaging stress to heal the patient. Baby Theo must return to his family.

1. https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php/Carnegie_stage_13

2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jcmm.15204 and relevance to Baby Theo written here:

A Child and a Ventilator