At age five, children still have no idea about what they want in life, so it's the parents who make the choices for them. But for one particular mom, Michelle Moon, she left it up to her daughter to decide whether her life should end.
Moon's five-year-old girl, Julianna Snow, has been battling a rare degenerative disease called Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), according to People. In order to prolong her life, the girl usually undergoes several hospital procedures.
"A few months after we started hospice, Julianna made it clear to us that she does not want to go to the hospital again," wrote Michelle on The Mighty blog. As Julianna's health is slowly and painfully regressing, it looks like Michelle and husband Steve Snow will have to honor their daughter's wishes.
According to Yahoo Parenting, Julianna's current condition is stable, but her health is vulnerable to anything. The last time the child had a cold, she had to be hospitalized for possible pneumonia. Her system was too weak that hospital staff had to suction phlegm out of her frail body several times daily. She luckily got out of the hospital after this bout, but the doctors said the next time may not be so lucky.
Michelle recounts the conversation she had with her daughter about getting sick again, which was published on CNN. In it, Michelle found out that her child would rather "go to heaven" than be in the hospital because Juliana hated that environment.
According to USA Today, Michelle's story has been receiving mixed responses from the public. While some hailed her and supported Michelle, others criticized her for leaving the choice up to the child. "Unbelievable that any parent would think a four-year-old is able to understand or make a decision on life," wrote Susan Timko in the blog's comment's section. "Clearly that mother asks her leading questions.
The public's response prompted Michelle to issue another message in a second blog post, where she explained that the conversation about hospitalization was something they have had many times. "Julianna wouldn't say anything. One night in early February, she finally answered. She said "no." And then she started talking about heaven," Michelle said, as reported by People.
Julianna's pulmonologist, Dr. Danny Hsia, has the parents' support. "In that case, it makes a lot of sense to listen to her. I have the utmost faith in her mother and father. They're phenomenal parents and have her best wishes at heart," said Hsia via CNN. The doctor was realistic in saying that the little girl doesn't have enough time on earth anymore.
