Would you remove your daughter’s uterus?
Jenn and Mark Hooper had their daughter’s uterus removed and even had doctors treat her with hormones to stunt her growth. She is now 4 feet and 43 inches tall and weighs only 53 pounds. This will be her height and age for the rest of her life.
Charley is so severely disabled, she’s “unabled,” says her mom
Why is Charley like that, you ask? Her brain did not get enough oxygen when she was born, leading to permanent brain damage.
Charley can’t support her head, see, communicate and move. She has to be carried around. She used to have seizures.
Her family tries to decode what she likes from yawns, moans and smiles–but they can never be sure. They don’t know if she yawns because she likes the sunlight on her face or if it’s just a reflex because of nerves she can’t control.
What exactly did they do?
In a highly-controversial and hotly-debated medical practice known as growth attenuation, the Hoopers had Charley’s body go into puberty and remain there through hormone injections.
Reports say that within days of the hormone injections, her seizures stopped.
When she turned six, Charley’s parents had her uterus removed and hormonally altered her growth. Why?
They were afraid that menstrual cramps would hurt too much. If she were to grow too tall or too big, how would they carry her around?
The medical board in New Zealand, their home country, allowed them to have the procedure done abroad.
Where is Charley now?
During the Hoopers’ recent trip to Bali, Indonesia, they were interviewed by the Associated press.
“We don’t expect her to live forever. We don’t want her to live forever. Who wants this life forever?” Jenn relates. “So we give her the best life we can while we’ve got her.”
Read: Little girl wants to die, parents say yes
Would you have made the same decision, mommies and daddies? Tell us about it in the comments.
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