CNN iReport

This report relates a stark story of police abuse of power, cold disregard for the welfare of children, and a system gone so completely awry that one wonders if it can ever be recovered.  Imagine if you can that your teenage son is in the fight of his life combatting stage 4 cancer of the type that kills more young men than any other; imagine that he is only days after his first 18 hour chemo treatment in which he had to be hospitalized from an allergic reaction that began closing his lungs in an athsma attack; then imagine an officer kneeling upon his back delivering repeated shocks from a taser as you scream for him not to kill your child.

The trauma of that night cannot be put into words, and it was in fact many months before it could even be spoken of due to the extreme distress caused in remembering the events that transpired.  To almost witness the death of one's child by violent means sends a shock through the system that can never be undone.  In the midst of an insufferable shock of a sudden cancer diagnosis in one's child comes the deadly, cold, paralyzing fear of an even greater threat.  There was no-one to which to turn.  When it is the police who break the laws, there remains no refuge nor security any longer.

Somehow one must continue however to function through the shock -- sole bread winner, responsible and dependable as always, single mother, and no room for emotional collapse.  One foot in front of the other as my father taught me God rest his soul, you must keep going.  The doctor prescribed stress medication for high blood pressure shortly thereafter -- Lexipro, an anti-depressent.  This lowered the blood pressure and aided in getting past difficult decisions such as whether to discontinue the high dosage steroid treatment in fear of potentially triggering another encounter with police, or to continue it as the oncologist adamently insisted must be done.  Based on the double tasing, the police were determined to be a greater threat and the Prednisone was discontinued from his cancer treatment.  The Dr. wrote the prescriptions, but we no longer filled them.

The heart can be damaged from the chemo drugs (CHOP+R), so a baseline MUGA scan was taken of heart function prior to the first treatment such that effect to the heart could be monitored.   University Hospital did not want to release him after the first treatment and allergic reaction, but he did not want to stay.  They released him only on the condition that he be monitored and they be called if anything happened.   The medications at home were Alopurynol to protect from liver damage caused by the chemo drugs, high dosage Prednisone to kill cancer cells weakened by the chemo but not killed, and another drug to combat the extreme nausea caused by the chemo.

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The INCIDENT:

My son had been out late past his curfew, and I was worried sick about him.  He finally showed up to change cars and go back out to one of the senior parties.  We were standing in the driveway arguing, him insisting that he was going back out and me insisting that he must go to bed and rest.  It was only a few days since the chemo treatment, and I was so afraid that he would not survive the cancer.  They gave him a 60% chance of a cure, and he needed his rest - at least that's what I thought.  The argument continued, and I would not let him get in the truck to leave.  He was angry!  I told him, quite obviously foolishly in hindsight!!!, that I would call the police if he tried to take the car back out.  He would not listen, so I did call them.  When I made the call, he lost it and began kicking and hitting one of the cars.  I learned later that the steroids he was on cause emotional disturbances in 18% of HEALTHY ADULTS, and the effect on extremely ill teenage boys can be much beyond that. 

An officer arrived as my son again was trying to get in the other car to leave, and my son moved quickly away toward the house.  The officer ordered him down on the ground and my son stood frozen as the officer pulled out the taser and fired it, missing him.  My son then dodged around a car into the yard.  After going about 10ft with the officer yelling for him to get down on the ground, he stopped layed down.  The double tasing occurred after my son complied and was laying on the ground trying to get his arms behind his back with the officer kneeling on him.  He was having difficulty catching his breath due the asthma.  The officer cuffed him and sat him against a car wheel waiting for paramedics.

In the meantime, the officer said my son would be held in juvenile detention over the weekend.  I protested that he must have his medications.  He said they have "all kinds of sick kids in juvenile detention."  There was a nurse there and I could take the medications there later.  I asked upon what charges he would be held, and the officer said felony criminal mischief.  I said I would not press charges, and that he was my son, I wanted him in bed, and he was very sick.  The officer said that I did not have to press charges.  He said it was Assault 4^th and therefore he could press the charges due to domestic violence.  I said but my son didn't assault me.  I said ma'am that's not what I saw.  I said but he did not assault me.  He said to either shut up or he would arrest me.  I gave up; I had no choice.

I have never been so afraid in my life!!!  When the sergeant arrived, I collapsed onto his shirtfront crying hysterically.  If you knew me, you would understand that such a reaction was not typical of me at all.  I was in shock for weeks after that night.

My son was sitting against the truck wheel still having difficulty catching his breath.  Parents of asthmatics would recognize the symptoms.  The skin around the collarbone sinks in with every breath as the muscles fight to get air into the lungs.  I went into the house, located his Albuterol inhaler and brought it to him holding it to his lips to give him doses.  The paramedics arrived and measured his blood pressure.  The bottom number was in the 150's and the top much higher.  They asked if he had a history of high blood pressure which he did not.  My father had been fully disabled by a stroke when I was 18, and I knew what the numbers meant.  I was so very afraid for him.

At the hospital, I told the emergency room admitting to call his oncologist, but they did not do this.  They also sent no-one to speak with me or get any details about his illness. They left me in the waiting area not letting me go into the back to talk to the doctor or see my son.  I was so very worried!  In the meantime, I called every phone number I had of those in office to try to get help.  I left messages on the personal cell phones of both the area U.S. Representative and the Kentucky Representative, but could find no-one to answer the phone at such an early hour.  The doctor never spoke to me, and the security guard later came out and told me that they had taken my son to the police station and to go home and they would call me.  The police report read that I had refused to admit my son to the hospital when in fact no one had ever spoken to me. 

Instead of going home, I followed my son to the police station.  When I pulled up in the parking lot the officer that tased my son was getting out of his car, and he told me to leave or he would arrest me for criminal trespass.  I left, again without a choice, and from home exchanged several phone calls with the juvenile court worker who said they would detain him over a 3 day holiday weekend until a hearing on Monday.  She finally called the judge and got him released back to me when I continued insisting to her that he was not a convicted felon, but a juvenile cancer patient.  I said to her that the county was fully taking the risk if anything happened to him in their care.  He had a very serious life threatening illness.

I later followed up with the local hospital, receiving two letters from.  I told them that they should have called the oncologist and the doctor should have talked to me vs. releasing my son back to the police -- and that if they continued such practices they would have a dead juvenile on their hands at some point.  At first they insisted they had done everything right, and then followed with an apology after I insisted they put the full details in writing because I might wish to pursue this in court once the cancer was dealt with.

I also followed-up with my U.S. Representative's office with a write up regarding an account of what had happened that night -- this was many months later when I could speak of it without becoming too emotional to relate what happened.  They made an official inquiry to the police department, and I heard no more of it nor did we ever see that officer again.  I learned later that the officer in question had "resigned" from the police department and was on a force in the next county.

My son was charged with felony criminal mischief for damaging my car, menacing a police officer with allegations and an account which had not occurred but justified the tasing, and Assault 4^th which never happened.  My son has never harmed me, and he takes up for his female friends when their boyfriends get out of line.  Even pumped up with major steroid doses and venting on the car, he at no time ever even hinted at turning any aggression toward me.  After many stressful months of waiting for court and fearing they would hold him in juvenile detention where he would not have the proper rest and care, the judge dismissed all charges.

So only 8 months after moving into a beautiful quiet Northern Kentucky neighborhood, I learned a few lessons that will never be forgotten.  The police department in the adjacent town had stopped my sons repeatedly when no crimes had been committed, obviously not legal but small matters surely.  Now the police department in my home town had almost taken the life of my son in front of my eyes.  I had been threatened with arrest twice.  Arrest ME, who had always lived a responsible and dependable life doing what had to be done.  The hospital had disregarded the safety of a juvenile with stage 4 cancer, apparently yielding to the police, though I can't imagine what they were thinking.  Lesson learned.  There is no safety nor security, and absolutely never call the police without understanding that you have no guarantees that it will not end very, very badly.

Pls. feel free to bash me if you agree completely with how this was handled or wish to point out to me my errors.  I am not considered to be a weak woman and am not afraid of any healthy exchange of views.  In case anyone made it this far and might be wondering, I'm a 'flaming liberal' now.  I changed overnight! :)