Mom Fights Mena School District Over Son's Medication
By: Brittney Johnson, KARK 4 News
Updated: October 26, 2012
A mother in Mena is battling the school district and State Board of Nursing over refusing to dispense a drug her little boy needs to eat and live.
The medication is called Domperidone and among other things, it helps people with intestinal problems. It's not FDA approved but Teri Edward's says it is the only thing keeping her son alive.
After a doctor's appointment in Little Rock, Edwards removed her son Michael's backpack. Unlike most, this one holds his feeding bag.
"I just want my son to be able to live as normal a life as he possibly can, I don't want to have to worry about his health," she said.
But she has ever since she adopted Michael as an infant. He was born with a condition that left his intestines nearly paralyzed.
"He was never hungry, he was always throwing up huge quantities. I was watching him waste away before my eyes. Nothing was helping," she explained.
She says he carried on that way until she met a new doctor that suggested Domperidone.
"From almost the first pill it was a miracle." she said.
She says Michael is a different child now that he's taking three doses a day. She asked the nurse at his school give him his second daily does before lunch, but the school said no.
"If he doesn't get this medicine he will die," said Edwards.
"They have to look it up, see what are the dosages and the side effects," said Deborah Jones of the state nursing board.
Jones says when nurses researched the drug, they learned it was made in the UK and not yet approved by the FDA to be administered in the state.
"I understand it is a hardship for her," said Jones. "But I do not have the authority to tell a nurse to violate federal law."
For now Teri's only option is to pack her books along with Michael's medicine and wait in a park for nearly four hours every day to give him his pills. She says it's an inconvenience but also motivation to keep fighting for her son and his health.
"All of a sudden my son tells me for the first time in his life, just recently, I'm hungry mama," she said.
There is a chance the Edwards' doctor can apply for an exception with the FDA and try and get the medicine approved for him to use at school. In the meantime his mom will have to keep giving it to him.
The medication is called Domperidone and among other things, it helps people with intestinal problems. It's not FDA approved but Teri Edward's says it is the only thing keeping her son alive.
After a doctor's appointment in Little Rock, Edwards removed her son Michael's backpack. Unlike most, this one holds his feeding bag.
"I just want my son to be able to live as normal a life as he possibly can, I don't want to have to worry about his health," she said.
But she has ever since she adopted Michael as an infant. He was born with a condition that left his intestines nearly paralyzed.
"He was never hungry, he was always throwing up huge quantities. I was watching him waste away before my eyes. Nothing was helping," she explained.
She says he carried on that way until she met a new doctor that suggested Domperidone.
"From almost the first pill it was a miracle." she said.
She says Michael is a different child now that he's taking three doses a day. She asked the nurse at his school give him his second daily does before lunch, but the school said no.
"If he doesn't get this medicine he will die," said Edwards.
"They have to look it up, see what are the dosages and the side effects," said Deborah Jones of the state nursing board.
Jones says when nurses researched the drug, they learned it was made in the UK and not yet approved by the FDA to be administered in the state.
"I understand it is a hardship for her," said Jones. "But I do not have the authority to tell a nurse to violate federal law."
For now Teri's only option is to pack her books along with Michael's medicine and wait in a park for nearly four hours every day to give him his pills. She says it's an inconvenience but also motivation to keep fighting for her son and his health.
"All of a sudden my son tells me for the first time in his life, just recently, I'm hungry mama," she said.
There is a chance the Edwards' doctor can apply for an exception with the FDA and try and get the medicine approved for him to use at school. In the meantime his mom will have to keep giving it to him.
Comments
Don't blame the nurse for doing her job, if she dispenses this medicine she would get fired. The nurses at our schools are kind and loving people and have gone out of their way to help many children, even using their own money to help buy medication. I hope their doctor can get them the approval they need so the nurse can help this Mom.
Trixie I.
December 4, 2012 at 9:51 am
One would think that the school district or nurse could use some common scence and help this little boy. Why does everyone have to make things so difficult. I hope the nurse at the school is very proud of herself. (sarcasm)
AMY E.
October 26, 2012 at 12:29 pm
