An Oregon teenager who was taken out of state by her mother to avoid surgery for a rare type of liver cancer has had the operation while in the custody of the state welfare officials
PORTLAND, Ore. —
An Oregon teenager who was taken out of state by her mother to avoid surgery for a rare type of liver cancer has had the operation while in the custody of the state welfare officials, several Portland, Oregon TV outlets reported Thursday.
Kylee Dixon, 13, was recovering in an intensive care unit after surgery on Tuesday to remove liver tumors, KPTV-TV reported. Her mother, Christine Dixon, said she was allowed a supervised visit with Kylee after the surgery despite a no-contact order.
“She was alert and excited,” the mother told KGW-TV. “We’re just praying and hoping for the best.”
The Dixons traveled to Las Vegas in June after prosecutors say Christine Dixon refused to turn Kylee over to the state for the surgery.
Christine Dixon has said months of chemotherapy debilitated her daughter and that she did much better on CBD oil, a non-psychoactive compound extracted from cannabis plants, and other alternative therapies.
The state has said there was a 70% chance that surgery would stop the tumor’s growth.
Surgery on the tumor planned for last September was canceled at the last moment as the judge sought more medical information.
At a Jan. 6 hearing, the state attorney general’s office presented scans to the court showing that the tumor remained active.
Martin McMahon, an attorney with the Oregon Department of Human Services, told the judge that multiple doctors said Kylee’s condition was a “medical emergency” and the judge allowed the surgery to proceed.
Dixon was charged with custodial interference and criminal mistreatment last year by prosecutors who say she ignored a court order to turn Kylee over to the state for urgent medical treatment.
Kylee has been in foster care since authorities discovered the pair in Las Vegas. She previously said she didn’t want the surgery, but at a court hearing earlier this month she told the judge she was ready for the operation.
Kylee told the judge at that hearing that her mother is her best friend, “forever and always.”
Christine Dixon has a court hearing in her criminal case in March. It’s unclear if, or when, she will regain custody of her daughter.