Washington, U.S.A. — Although parents should be the protectors of their children, they can also be their most severe abusers.

This seems to be the case in the life of Ariana-Leilani King-Pfeiffer, a 9-year-old dual German/American Citizen whose father is denying her access to medication that would save her life.

The child has been diagnosed with severe chronic neutropenia (SCN), a life-threatening disease affecting only one in one million people worldwide. The condition entails a scarcity of neutrophils, which defend the body from bacterial infections. She is on the Severe Chronic Neutropenia International Registry (SCNIR) with less than 1000 others worldwide.

While healthy individuals contain between 3000 and 7000 neutrophils per mm^3 in their body, in the case of someone with severe neutropenia the absolute neutrophil count falls below 500 neutrophils per mm^3 for over 3 months according to the SCNIR. In such cases, seemingly minor bacterial infections could result in toxic shock, loss of limbs, or prove fatal—at any moment.

SCN can be acquired in a variety of ways: through chemotherapy treatment, from a viral infection, an autoimmune response and some individuals are born with the condition. Dismissing these possibilities in the case of King-Pfeiffer based on her medical records, Dr. Karl H. Welte, Co-Director of the SCNIR believes her condition has likely been “induced by toxic agents”—meaning someone is purposely introducing harmful drugs into the child’s system.

Patients can be treated with the hormone G-CSF, also known as neupogen. This medication helps them to fight off infections by increasing neutrophil levels. However, according to an affidavit by Dr. Robert Sklaroff, King-Pfeiffer is not receiving adequate treatment. While her medical records indicate that she was administered neupogen during three yearly dental visits, resulting in her ANC levels rising from 3000 to 9000, she is not being given the medication regularly as needed.

However, her father has made securing excessive amounts of the addictive ADHD medication Concerta for his child a monthly priority. Considering this, one is left wondering why he has neglected to provide neupogen for his highly at-risk child, although she is entitled to it free of charge through the SCNIR.

The NGO Innocence in Danger International brought these circumstances to the attention of the German Embassy in Washington DC. They then proceeded to write to the relevant U.S. authorities in order to call them to action, explaining, “we feel that a fully independent medical examination of the child should be ordered.” So far no toxicology screenings or urinalyses have been performed and the only physician treating the child is an associate of her father.

Visit www.Ariana-Leilani.org to learn more about the critical condition of this child and the neglect that is putting her life in danger. Make sure to sign and circulate the petition on the site urging political actors to ensure she receives the treatment necessary to save her life.

Image Courtesy of  Ariel foundation

The article Child Neglect: Can You Help Save Ariana-Leilani? appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

WASHINGTON and BERLIN – After over 20 years the USA (along with Somalia) is the only country in the world (193) where children human rights are NOT legally and internationally recognized through the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). All children who are on U.S. soil loose their basic human rights that they have in 193 other countries. Now is the time to change this silent violation of children’s human rights before the 2012 Presidential elections.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” Obama, February 2008

The Little Peace Ambassador, Ariana-Leilani, 9 years old, was destined to promote peace and children’s human rights worldwide. She was born a dual German – USA citizen with two nationalities, cultures, races, religions, and three languages.

“We lose ourselves when we compromise the very ideals that we fight to defend. And we honor those ideals by upholding them not when it’s easy, but when it is hard.” Obama, Nobel Lecture,December 2009

Before 5 years she had traveled to ten countries and volunteered to help orphaned children she called “friends.” The Little Peace Ambassador, met President George W. Bush, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Queen Noor at the United Nations in NY, and was named after the “Ariana” museum at the United Nations – Palais de Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, where she once ran the halls at the World Health Assembly. Yet, for such an unusual start in life, since the age of 5, the Little Peace Ambassador has been trapped in Washington, DC, USA now fighting for her life.

As a direct result of no UNCRC, Ariana-Leilani has suffered silently for 4 years in the USA with untreated life-threatening Severe Chronic Neutropenia only minutes from The White House, in the most powerful and internationally involved foreign policy and human rights defender governments in the world.

In Germany she would have the basic human right to live. In the USA, she is denied life-saving medicine (nupogen), free since she is on the Severe Chronic Neutropenia International Registry (SCNIR); a full toxicology and expert medical care. A ”gopetition” to President Obama and Chancellor Merkel to “Save Ariana-Leilani” currently has signatures from 117 countries.

“All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart or whether we commit ourselves to an effort, a sustained effort to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children and to respect the dignity of all human beings.” Obama, speech, June 2009

Little Peace Ambassador, Ariana-Leilani, “Happy 9th Birthday.” May you live a long life and continue to educate and advocate for Children’s Human Rights in the USA and worldwide.

Links
Children’s Human Rights; www.Ariana-LeilaniFoundation.org
Petition: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-ariana-leilani.html
Save Ariana-Leilani: www.Ariana-Leilani.org

The article Save Ariana-Leilani ‘The Little Peace Ambassador’ appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.