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Jul 16, 2008 6:19 pm US/Central
Family Says Rare Disease Led To CPS Investigation
Arezow Doost
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
For Sandy Daugherty, the past month has been a nightmare.
"You see your little baby lying on a bed with 15 doctors around him, trying to resuscitate him, and 'Code blue' going over the speaker because they need more people to help," said Daugherty. "We almost lost him."
Daugherty's 7-month-old boy Joshua was rushed to Cook Children's Medical Center from West Texas in May. Joshua was diagnoses with
gastro-esophageal reflux disease, or "gerd."
"We couldn't change his diet enough to help him keep anything down," Daugherty said.
Joshua was only 15 pounds when he was brought to the hospital. Because of his low weight, the hospital called Child Protective Services.
From there, the Mitchell County District Attorney's Office got involved. Officials are waiting to receive Joshua's medical records from the hospital. The Daughertys could be facing neglect charges for starving Joshua.
Daugherty just wants to take her baby home, but she realizes she could lose custody if the county pursues criminal charges. "So now the reality of what's waiting when we get home is there," she said.
Dr. Suzanne Kelley with JPS Health Network never treated Joshua, but said babies diagnosed with gerd can have similar symptoms.
"It's the rare child that has weight loss, poor weight gain or bloody diarrhea," she said.
While Dr. Kelley says acid reflex in baby's is very common, the disease isn't. That's why regular check ups with your doctor are highly recommended.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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