A Dallas mother made her son go through unnecessary medical procedures throughout the first years of his life, court documents say.
She was sentenced to six years in prison, according to her attorney.
The young child visited the doctor more than 300 times and underwent 13 major surgeries, CNN affiliate KTVT reported, citing a Child Protective Services report.
Kaylene Bowen-Wright pleaded guilty to injury to a child causing serious bodily injury, the affiliate reported. She began lying to medical professionals when her son was barely a few days old, the indictment documents say.
“On April 24, 2009, eleven days into the complainant’s life, it was reported that the suspect, his biological mother, and her mother were observed pouring out milk that the complainant didn’t finish and lying to medical professionals that the complainant had taken the entire contents of his bottle,” the documents say.
That incident kicked off an eight-year cycle of Bowen-Wright jumping from doctor to doctor seeking medical treatments for her son and lying to doctors about his medical history and condition.
As a result, her son had to go through new tests, exams, surgeries, and procedures, as well as being hooked up to feeding tubes, central lines, and other ports.
“The complainant developed life-threatening blood infections in the central lines on two separate occasions—requiring the complainant to be admitted to the intensive care unit,” court documents say.
Bowen-Wright’s attorney, Heath Hyde, insisted her son had medical problems. “While we respect the Judge’s decision and take responsibility for recklessly not following through doctor-recommended follow-ups, we stand by the fact (that her son) had medical problems as verified by the numerous rounds of (tests) and procedures performed by various doctors that were determined by their independent evaluation,” Hyde said in a statement to CNN.
He Was In Hospice Care At Five-Years-Old
Bowen-Wright’s son ended up in hospice care when he was five-years-old, where she signed a “do not resuscitate” order for him, according to court documents.He was discharged in 2015 after his mother refused to listen to doctors. They recommended an eight-week stay during which he could be taken off feeding tubes, IV hydration, and oxygen, and start living “a somewhat normal life.”
Bowen-Wright lied and said her insurance had denied covering the stay, according to court documents.
After the son was admitted to intensive care again for a third life-threatening blood infection, he was taken off his feeding tube, court documents say, and began eating well and had a normal diet.
She Lied About Her Son’s Medical Problems
Court documents say Bowen-Wright reported her son had medical issues that were “never witnessed by medical providers.” She did not listen to doctors who suggested routes that might “result in less medical intervention.”When her son was removed from her care, he was on IV and oxygen. He was taken off both and began eating a regular diet normally, instead of through a feeding tube.
“The complainant had no seizure activity, no choking or aspirating on food, and showed no fatigue,” court documents say. “Instead, the complainant was up and playing most of the time in the hospital.”
He was released to a foster home and did not have any medical problems when he was interviewed again, 12 days after being taken out of Bowen-Wright’s care, court documents say.
But the child suffered bodily injury from the blood infections and radiation he'd been exposed to, the documents say. He also has “serious mental impairment from the suspect continually teaching the complainant that he is ill” and restricting his movement from an early age by putting him in a wheelchair.
