Prayers picked over doctors; child dies

[cougarnurse]

An 11 year old girl died after her parents picked prayer over treatment: Parents pick prayer over docs; girl dies - Yahoo! News

WESTON, Wis. - Police are investigating an 11-year-old girl's death from an undiagnosed, treatable form of diabetes after her parents chose to pray for her rather than take her to a doctor.
An autopsy showed Madeline Neumann died Sunday of diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition that left too little insulin in her body, Everest Metro Police Chief Dan Vergin said.
She had probably been ill for about a month, suffering symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, excessive thirst, loss of appetite and weakness, the chief said Wednesday, noting that he expects to complete the investigation by Friday and forward the results to the district attorney.
The girl's mother, Leilani Neumann, said that she and her family believe in the Bible and that healing comes from God, but that they do not belong to an organized religion or faith, are not fanatics and have nothing against doctors.
She insisted her youngest child, a wiry girl known to wear her straight brown hair in a ponytail, was in good health until recently.

[cougarnurse]

More on the story:
We just noticed a tiredness within the past two weeks," she said Wednesday. "And then just the day before and that day (she died), it suddenly just went to a more serious situation. We stayed fast in prayer then. We believed that she would recover. We saw signs that to us, it looked like she was recovering."
Her daughter — who hadn't seen a doctor since she got some shots as a 3-year-old, according to Vergin — had no fever and there was warmth in her body, she said.
The girl's father, Dale Neumann, a former police officer, said he started CPR "as soon as the breath of life left" his daughter's body.
Family members elsewhere called authorities to seek help for the girl.
Leilani Neumann said she and her husband are not worried about the investigation because "our lives are in God's hands. We know we did not do anything criminal. We know we did the best for our daughter we knew how to do."
Comments?

[AmandaWIRN]

I truly believe that prayer has healing power, but I also believe that God helps those who help themselves. To me, this should be considered negligence and child abuse.....

[Aaron C.]

they should go to prison.

It is their responsibility to care for the life of their child.

I too believe in the healing power of prayer. I also believe that God provides you with the means to heal your child via medicine and hospitals.

I have no problem with them freely practicing whatever religious beliefs they choose, so long as it does not harm others. In this case, someone was not only harmed, but a life was lost. Manslaughter at best.

[cougarnurse]

I've always thought God helps those who help themselves, too. After all, in this day and age.....

I'm still shaking my head. Maybe the mother has some underlying health problems herself?

[cougarnurse]

Somehow, I knew this would happen....

WAUSAU, Wis. - The three siblings of a girl who died of diabetes that went untreated as her parents prayed instead of taking her to a doctor have been removed from the home during an investigation, police said Friday.

Madeline Neumann, 11, died Sunday the Weston home of an undiagnosed but treatable form of diabetes as her parents, Dale and Leilani Neumann, prayed for her to get better. Her mother said she never expected her daughter, whom she called Kara, to die.
The family believes in the Bible, which says healing comes from God, Leilani Neumann said.