Woman Charged For Failing To Manage Daughter's Diabetes
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A mother charged with failing to get her sick daughter the proper care is speaking out Thursday.
The child was in and out of the hospital six times last year, but the girl's mother paints a different picture.
Janell Ross says she loves her 10-year-old daughter more than anything. She was devastated last week when she was charged with endangering the welfare of a child after authorities say she failed to treat her daughter's diabetes.
"She's my daughter. I should be the only one taking care of her," Ross said. "I have been taking care of her since day one. I never shied away from the responsibility of my daughter being diabetic."
Court papers show the child was admitted to Children's Hospital six times in the past year for diabetic ketoacidosis, which indicated her insulin levels were not under control.
According to a criminal complaint, a social worker told authorities the girl's eating was poorly controlled, and she would not have had diabetic ketoacidosis if Ross gave appropriate doses of insulin and adequately supervised her daughter's diabetes.
Ross says she has actively been involved in administering her daughter's care since the girl was diagnosed when she was just 14 months old. In fact, Ross says if anything, she reached out for help.
"I did what I thought I was supposed to do as a parent and that was take my sick child to the hospital," Ross said.
"[Ross's daughter] was admitted to the hospital six times," Ross's attorney, Blaine Jones, said. "You know who took her there? Janell did, because she cared about her. Because she wanted to make sure she was OK."
The child is staying with relatives right now while the legal issues work through the court system. But that too is adding strain to an already stressed situation.
"Her daughter is a bright, beautiful young lady. She's an honors student," Jones said. "None of us know exactly how diabetes works, but any time Janell detects something may be off, Janell takes her to the doctor."
"I love my baby, and I want her back," Ross said. "I have always been willing to do whatever I had to make sure she was OK."
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