Mom jailed over son's 'senseless' strep throat death
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The ill student is a resident in Leonard Hall. (iStock)
A Canadian mother was sentenced on Friday to three years in prison after her son died of strep throat because she failed to take him to a doctor and instead attempted to treat him with “holistic remedies.”
Tamara Lovett, 38, of Calgary, was found guilty in January in the 2013 death of her 7-year-old son, Ryan, CBC News reported.
“[Lovett's] actions resulted in the senseless death of an innocent child who needed her protection," Court of Queen's Bench Justice Kristine Eidsvik said. "If your child is not getting better, you are legally and morally bound to take your child to an actual doctor for actual medical care.”
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Lovett’s son contracted strep throat in March 2013 and died 10 days later. The boy was pronounced dead at the apartment after his mother called 911 when she found him on the floor. He reportedly also had pneumonia and meningitis.
Lovett said in court she thought her son had a common cold or flu and treated him with holistic remedies that included dandelion tea, according to CBC News.
BOY WHOSE WISH FOR CHRISTMAS CARDS WENT VIRAL DIES
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Eidsvik said the boy died “an excruciating, unnecessary death” because he “was completely dependent on his mother for using common sense in treatment choices.”
Lovett expressed remorse during the trial and said she “can’t begin to forgive” herself for contributing to her son’s death.
"I hope others learn from my ignorance,” she said, according to CBC News.
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The judge said Lovett’s prison sentence should serve as a lesson for parents to give their children proper care during health issues.