Amber alert mother issues call to arms to stand up against Queensland health system
- Details
- Category: Child Protection Queensland media and newspaper articles
- Created: Saturday, 29 April 2017 22:24
- Written by Toby Crockford - Brisbane Times
Jacinda "Cini" Walker has called on supporters to stand up against the Queensland health system during a Facebook live video update on Saturday.
Cini Walker, the mother of four-year-old Chase Walker-Steven who was at the centre of an Amber Alert on Friday, has issued a call to arms for her supporters to stand up against the Queensland health system.
The Logan family was released from a New South Wales hospital on Friday night, after being found by police during the late afternoon in Newcastle, ending a search that stretched more than 24 hours.
After spending a significant amount of time in hospitals with her son, who suffers from a disability, Ms Walker said she feels "let down" by the health system and encouraged supporters to take action in a Facebook live video posted on Saturday.
"People weren't stepping up and the wrong people were trying to do the wrong thing – they just don't care about our children," she said.
Parents who went on run with disabled son claim hospital food and vaccines harming him.
"I'm not going to let my son be pushed around just because he can't speak, if he could speak I swear he would be screaming too."
Ms Walker also addressed concerns that her son was malnourished, saying that the entire family had recently suffered from a cold and she had also lost several kilograms as a result.
During her address to supporters, she thanked them for words of encouragement throughout the last few days and said her son was happy and healthy.
"I'm just overwhelmed for the support for my son and my family and hope that this can push for people to make sure we stand up for the kids to come."
Ms Walker said the truth about Brisbane hospitals as well as the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services will come out after Friday's frantic search, which stretched across two states.
Ms Walker has documented her battle with Brisbane hospitals online and through social media.
In an online biography of their son, Ms Walker and her partner, Marc Alexander Steven, wrote that Chase was born healthy but claimed that after having a vitamin K injection within 10 minutes of birth he started having seizures.
They said that after further vaccinations during his first few days of life, Chase's seizures would come back worse than before.
The parents alleged it caused him to develop "spastic, quadriplegic cerebral palsy and undiagnosed, uncontrolled epilepsy". Nothing could be found on brain scans, but both parents believe their son was damaged by the vaccinations.
The family claim medicinal cannabis had improved Chase's condition and Ms Walker previously warned she would walk out of hospital with Chase if the staff refused to give him medicinal cannabis, as his parents wanted.
Ms Walker said the boy did not need or want to be back in hospital. She believed the medication would harm her son and hospital food would kill him because she claims he suffers from a dairy allergy.
During a series of Facebook live videos posted on Friday evening, Ms Walker also said "the truth is going to come out".
"I'm done, I want my family back and I am over the fact that this system can think they can do this to me.
"You're not going to hurt my kid anymore."
Doctors at John Hunter Hospital in New South Wales initially wanted to keep the family in for overnight observation, however they were released on Friday.
A Queensland Police Service spokesman said there weren't any plans to press charges on Saturday, but couldn't rule out the possibility in the future.
"No charges have been laid ... for what? Taking my kid out of an appointment that I made?" Ms Walker told Facebook supporters.
It all started about 12.30pm on Thursday, when the family walked out of Lady Cilento Children's Hospital after speaking with staff, who then called police.
After an unsuccessful day, police activated an Amber Alert about lunchtime on Friday, sparking an interstate search for Chase, who suffers from a disability.
As a result of the emergency alert, police received about a dozen calls from members of the public with information. However, it wasn't until about 4pm when police had their first major breakthrough.
After information from the public, Ms Walker was found in Newcastle and, after calling her partner, Mr Steven brought Chase to officers in the same area less than an hour later.
With AAP.
Source : http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/amber-alert-family-return-to-queensland-after-being-released-from-new-south-wales-hospital-20170429-gvv9kw.html
