One way to give stubbornness a swift kick to the nether regions is to talk money... or lack of it.
Yesterday I Tweeted an article I wrote about Justina Pelletier to the Boston Children's Hospital's corporate sponsors. One of those sponsors, namely Marriott Hotels, replied. The reply [below] has since been circulated around social networks and Marriott are receiving much acclaim for their stance.
Here's the tweet...
The article I tweeted to Marriott and the Boston Children's Hospital five other corporate sponsors was critical of the treatment of Justina and can be read here.
The response from Marriott should raise the red flag for the 5 remaining corporate sponsors who have failed to speak out regarding the treatment of 15 year-old Justina, namely; Aquafina, Roche Bros, TD Bank, Waste Management and Toyota.
Those that are up to speed on the whole Justina Pelletier case will know that there's debate between doctors about her diagnosis. On one hand we have a disease doctor at Tufts Medical Center who diagnosed Justina with mitochondrial disorder, a chronic, genetic disorder that occurs when the mitochondria of the cell fails to produce enough energy for cell or organ function. Then we have another opinion of another doctor/psychologist who claims Justina has somatoform disorder, an apparent mental disorder characterized by symptoms that suggest physical illness or injury.
Last year Stephen Marriott, whose father presided over the Marriott International business empire, died at age 54. The cause of death, according to his father, was complications from mitochondrial disease. The very same disease Justina Pelletier had been diagnosed with. The very same disease that those involved within the mental health system are claiming Justina does not have.
Stephen's father also added, that his son was "...properly diagnosed about 20 years ago and in recent years had taken an experimental drug that probably helped prolong his life."
There have been many media reports that have suggested that Justina's medication to treat her mitochondrial disease have been stopped.
One has to applaud Marriott Hotels for taking a stand here. Okay, they are only looking in to the issues surrounding the case but to publicly admit that they have notified the 'appropriate people within the organization' is a brave move and one that may just haunt the Boston Children's Hospital.
It will be very interesting to see how this one develops.
I will, of course, keep you posted.
Bob Fiddaman.
Back Stories:
Boston Children’s Hospital - A Prison For Children
Justina Pelletier: A Pawn in a Psychiatric Game of Chess
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