Save the Child by Margaret Turley

Over the years, I've learned that while most doctors and those in the medical profession are well-meaning and sincere in their efforts to provide the best healthcare possible, they don't know everything.

When my youngest son was born he failed the hearing test several times. We took him to an audiologist for further testing and she concluded that he was deaf. No doubt about it. He couldn't hear any consonants, she said. He couldn't hear any soft sounds, she said. The only sound he could hear was a jet engine, she said.

She told us to get right in to have him fitted for hearing aids. Her diagnosis didn't sit right with us. It didn't feel right. My husband gave him a blessing that he would hear the beautiful sounds Heavenly Father had created. We saw him respond to sounds, even soft sounds across the room. We took him to another audiologist in another city and she concluded that he could hear, though he may have a mild hearing loss in one ear. We then took him to an ENT that concluded that the equipment used to test his hearing was not made for his unique ear anatomy and it was impossible to tell at that point what his hearing might be.

He's now three-years-old. He says consonants, he responds to whispers across the room, he says words, and I've heard him say almost every sound in the alphabet. If we had listened to the first audiologist instead of our own feelings or putting faith in the blessing he'd received, he'd be wearing hearing aids for no reason and possibly would have damaged his hearing.

As parents, we have the right to make decisions for our children, especially when we have access to the priesthood and the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, that may not agree with a doctor's diagnosis or prescription for treatment. No one, not even the most caring doctor, cares more about the welfare of my children than I do.

This is the premise for Margaret Turley's book, Save the Child. In this novel, Nancy Johnson, a married mother of three, learns that her daughter, Sharon, has been diagnosed with leukemia. Since she believes chemotherapy will poison her daughter, she seeks alternative medical care. Child Protective Services intervenes and removes the child form the Johnson home. Of course, this throws the whole fammily into turmoil.

Save the Child examines parents' rights and how those balance with the child's right to be treated. It's a difficult balance. As a parent, I would want my rights to be respected, but I also understand that those in the medical profession, unable to rely on faith as a means of healing, want to use medicine and technology to treat patients.

Save the Child will be available in March. You can learn more about Margaret Turley here. I think it will be a thought-provoking read.