Texas mom put healthy son through 13 unnecessary surgeries
A Texas mom has admitted to subjecting her healthy son to unneeded medical procedures — including 13 major surgeries.
Kaylene Bowen, 35, began bringing her son, Christopher, to unnecessary doctors’ appointments when he was 11 days old, officials said. His care eventually included more than 320 hospital and doctors’ visits.
By the time he was 8 years old, the boy had undergone the more than a dozen major surgeries and was confined to a wheelchair, according to prosecutors.
Authorities allege that Bowen committed crimes that appeared to fit the description of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a disorder in which a caregiver lies or exaggerates a child’s medical symptoms to get attention.
Bowen pleaded guilty Thursday in a Dallas County court to recklessly causing injury to her son, who is now 10 years old, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. He is no longer in a wheelchair.
Over the years, Bowen had launched fundraisers for the Christopher, claiming that he was dying from a rare genetic disorder and had cancer, the newspaper reported.
A Texas mom has admitted to subjecting her healthy son to unneeded medical procedures — including 13 major surgeries.
Kaylene Bowen, 35, began bringing her son, Christopher, to unnecessary doctors’ appointments when he was 11 days old, officials said. His care eventually included more than 320 hospital and doctors’ visits.
By the time he was 8 years old, the boy had undergone the more than a dozen major surgeries and was confined to a wheelchair, according to prosecutors.
Authorities allege that Bowen committed crimes that appeared to fit the description of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a disorder in which a caregiver lies or exaggerates a child’s medical symptoms to get attention.
Bowen pleaded guilty Thursday in a Dallas County court to recklessly causing injury to her son, who is now 10 years old, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. He is no longer in a wheelchair.
Over the years, Bowen had launched fundraisers for the Christopher, claiming that he was dying from a rare genetic disorder and had cancer, the newspaper reported.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/08/18/texas-mom-put-healthy-son-through-13-unnecessary-surgeries/
Photo Credit: Dallas County Sheriff’s Office