Ashley e l’infermiera

Dalla sezione dei commenti (ora soppressa) del blog dei genitori di Ashley, ho salvato questo intervento di un’infermiera professionista (5 gennaio 2007, 11:01 PM), che aggiunge alcune interessanti considerazioni sulla vicenda:

As a Registered Nurse with over 25 years of experience, which included ten plus years as a charter member of the Hospital Ethics committee, I hope that my dialogue regarding your beautiful daughter will be viewed with some credibility. I am saddened that you felt such pressure to have to “justify” Ashley’s treatment to anyone! I can’t even imagine how it must feel to be in your shoes and have to deal with public opinions, especially negative ones. Your blog is beautifully written, and your love for your special child is evident. I could only think of one possible side effect from the high dose estrogen (increased risk of cancer), but that would be minimal in that she had her breast buds removed, as well as her uterus. Additionally, the benefits in this case outweighed any risk. I was pleased that you left her ovaries in, or she not only would have gone through an immediate (and uncomfortable) menopause, but also because the ovaries play an important role in maintaining bone health. Your decision to limit her growth was intriguing and innovative, and in my opinion, certainly will greatly contribute to her future comfort. Indeed, I hope that the medical community will do further research on this option and offer it to be considered for the most severely handicapped children. I have worked with hundreds, probably thousands of adults who are basically immobile and susceptible to horribly painful bedsores, and the resulting infections. Large breasted women were a real challenge, and many times we had to use medical tape to elevate the breast from touching the chest, to heal weeping, oozing chest sores that so easily can happen, even with meticulous care. I applaud your decision, to act for your daughters benefit, even though you most likely realized that you would at some point be held up to (negative) public scrutiny. It sounds like you did everything right, especially allowing an Ethics Committee to review her case and offer their educated opinion. Ashley is blessed to have you as her parents. My thoughts and prayers will always be with you, as well as my true admiration of your willingness to act on a controversial procedure that certainly will contribute to Ashley’s comfort and well being. Kudos to you and your beautiful family.
Sincerely, Susan Olson, RN, BSN, CNN.