Mom Gets Life for Son’s Untreated Cancer Death

A woman in Michigan was sentenced to life in prison after her teenage son died because she denied him necessary medical care for his cancer.

Does Michigan Provide Cancer Treatment for Families Who Can’t Afford It?

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Healthcare is one of the biggest expenses for families in Michigan. Many jobs don’t provide health insurance, and even when they do, some parents struggle to afford the premiums or high deductibles.

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Do you remember when, many years ago in Michigan, most health care plans covered nearly everything, and prescriptions cost just a dollar or two? Then insurance companies began treating people like machines, covering only parts of surgeries and adding deductibles as if we weren’t human.

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It’s reassuring that Michigan offers state-funded assistance for children with cancer when families can’t afford treatment. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) provides programs like Medicaid and the Children’s Special Health Care Services program, which ensure access to specialized medical care regardless of a family’s current financial situation.

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Tragically, a teenage boy in Michigan died from cancer after his mother chose not to pursue medical treatment for him.

Woman Sentenced to Life in Son’s Cancer Death Case

Daily CrimeWithShanna Via Facebook

According to a report shared on the Facebook page Daily Crime with Shanna, 43-year-old Elizabeth Dubois has been sentenced to life in prison by the Lapeer County Court after being convicted of denying her teenage son necessary medical care, which resulted in his death in 2019.

Dubois’s son, Austin, developed a rare form of cancer in his throat. She claimed she lacked the time and financial resources to seek proper treatment for him. Over several years, Dubois denied him access to necessary medical care, and by the time he died from the illness, he weighed only 83 pounds.

Investigators consulted several healthcare experts, including a specialist from the University of Michigan Medical Center, who stated that Austin’s cancer would have been treatable and possibly even curable, if he had received proper medical care early on.