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Never Again Will I Claim Middle School Was Tough

Thirteen year old Hannah Jones, a leukemia survivor who is now suffering from a potentially deadly heart problem, was told that she might die if she did not receive a heart transplant. Despite this, Hannah (who was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 4) made the decision to forego the transplant, saying “I’ve been in the hospital too much—I’ve had too much trauma”.
Hannah’s parents support her decision, and after being interviewed by a social worker the hospital has decided that they will not press the issue.
There is no guarantee the surgery would work, and many transplant patients are required to take medication for the rest of their lives. Hannah stated that if she was on limited time, she wanted to be at home.

Read the rest of the story here

Would you consider foregoing treatment? Were the hospital and the Joneses right in letting Hannah make this decision? What do you think it takes to make this decision, or watch a loved one make this decision?

In 2006, then-editor Steve Smith of The Spokesman-Review had the idea of starting a publication for an often forgotten audience: teenagers. The Vox Box was a continuation of the Vox, an all-student staffed newspaper published by The Spokesman-Review. High school student journalists who staffed the Vox made all content decisions as they learn about the trade of journalism. This blog's mission was to give students an opportunity to publish their voices. The Vox Box and the Vox wrapped up in June 2009, but you can follow former staffers' new blog at http://voxxiez.blogspot.com.