Teen Forced to Undergo Chemotherapy Testifies in Court

A teenager taken into Connecticut state custody and forced to undergo chemotherapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma testified in court on Monday in hopes of leaving the hospital to finish her treatments.

Seventeen-year-old Windsor Locks resident Cassandra C., who remains away from home under the care of the state, never wanted chemotherapy. She pushed back, missing doctor's appointments and running away from home, but lost in court and was forced to continue treatment.

Cassandra has since gone into remission but has two more rounds of treatment, which she's expected to finish within the next two or three months.

The teen now says she is willing to go along with chemotherapy but wants to be reunited with her mother and finish the treatment plan at home.

She testified in court Monday through video conference from the hospital. Neither attorneys nor Cassandra's mother, Jackie Fortin, would comment much on court proceedings, but the teen's lawyer, Josh Michtom, praised the teen's testimony.

"I think she did great. I mean, she's a smart kid, and she's a competent witness on top of that," Michtom said outside the courthouse.

No television cameras were allowed inside the courtroom.

According to doctors at Connecticut Children's Medical Center, where Cassandra is staying, the teen has an 85 percent chance of survival with chemotherapy.

Cassandra has not been home since the second week of December. She has limited contact with her mother and has not been allowed to speak with Fortin since early January, per DCF orders.

DCF officials said in a statement in January that they were exploring options for Cassandra to live in a specialized group home when she was released from the hospital.

"It's DCF's obligation to reunite the family, and so we continue to be confronted with DCF's opinion that all of that statutory stuff really doesn't matter," said attorney Michael Taylor, who is representing Fortin.

The state's highest court reviewed the case under an emergency appeal filed by attorneys representing Cassandra and her mother, taking up an issue previously decided by several other states – whether some minors are mature enough to make decisions about their own bodies.

The judges ultimately decided that Cassandra is not mature and will continue to receive chemotherapy. She turns 18 in September, a year after her cancer diagnosis.

"Our sole focus is on Cassandra's recovery and on following the treatment plan that the doctors have determined will save her life," DCF said in a statement. "As difficult as this has been for Cassandra and her family, we are all very happy that Cassandra has done so well under their medical care and treatment."

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