A teenager taken into Connecticut state custody and forced by the state to get chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma testified in court on Monday in hopes of leaving the hospital to finish her treatments.
Seventeen-year-old Cassandra C., who remains away from home under the care of the state, didn't want chemotherapy and was previously fighting the state so she wouldn't have to get the treatment, but she lost in court so she was forced to undergo chemo. She has since gone into remission.
People Magazine reports that Cassandra C's attorney's asked a state court if she could leave the hospital to finish chemotherapy. She testified remotely for about an hour on Monday, one of her attorneys said, though details of her testimony were not available. No television cameras were allowed inside the courtroom.
In a statement to NBC Connecticut in January, DCF officials said they were exploring options for Cassandra C. to live in a specialized group home when she was released from the hospital.
Court documents show DCF took custody of her when she ran away from home after two days of chemotherapy and missed medical appointments. Her mother, Jackie Fortin, plans to fight those claims.
The state's highest court reviewed the case under an emergency appeal filed by attorneys representing Cassandra and her mother, taking up an issue previously decided by several other states – whether some minors are mature enough to make decisions about their own bodies.
The judges ultimately decided that Cassandra is not mature and will continue to receive chemotherapy. She turns 18 in September, a year after her cancer diagnosis.
Photo Credit: Jackie Fortin