When the blood transfusion is medically indicated, yes.
Often, without blood, there is no treatment.
It's important for doctors to respect the wishes of their patients. This doesn't mean that the patient's wishes are wise.
Blood transfusions aren't only needed for surgery or trauma. If you have leukemia or are undergoing chemotherapy, your body may not be producing enough red blood cells; the treatment for this condition is to provide you with more red blood cells through a blood transfusion. Refusing a transfusion in cases like this means refusing treatment to prevent what could be serious or even fatal complications.
Blood Transfusions for People with Cancer
Thank you for providing some form of information other than wild assertions.
This was one of the first things I saw in your article...
Why people with cancer might need blood transfusions
What does that say to you?
Does it not say that people might not need blood transfusions?
Does it not suggest that physicians will have varying views on this?
What if you were told, by a surgeon...
"There is no disease, that a surgeon cannot, and have not treated successfully without blood transfusion."
Would you dismiss them as people who "don't know what they are talking about"?
I think we should give those professional surgeons the due credit, and respect. Not try to diminish them.
What do you think?
I also think it's important to be opened to knowledge, and not delight in willful ignorance. However, that up to us, isn't it?
Personalized acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment let me stay true to my faith
When I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia — a type of blood cancer — I knew that my case was going to be a tough one. As one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, I am not willing to accept whole blood products, and acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment sometimes includes red blood cell/platelet transfusions and/or stem cell transplants. Compromising my faith has never been an option, so one of my first concerns was finding a hospital that would respect my wishes.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a fast-growing, aggressive form of cancer, so I also knew I needed to act quickly. I wanted the best and most innovative care possible, and I knew I would get that at MD Anderson. Thanks to MD Anderson’s leukemia doctors and their willingness to be creative, I’m now in remission — and the bloodless protocol they developed for me is already helping other patients.
A Jehovah’s Witness with Acute Myeloid Leukemia Successfully Treated with an Epigenetic Drug, Azacitidine: A Clue for Development of Anti-AML Therapy Requiring Minimum Blood Transfusions
Abstract
Therapy for acute leukemia in Jehovah’s Witnesses patients is very challenging because of their refusal to accept blood transfusions, a fundamental supportive therapy for this disease. These patients are often denied treatment for fear of treatment-related death. We present the first Jehovah’s Witness patient with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treated successfully with azacitidine. After achieving complete remission (CR) with one course of azacitidine therapy, the patient received conventional postremission chemotherapy and remained in CR. In the case of patients who accept blood transfusions, there are reports indicating the treatment of AML patients with azacitidine. In these reports, azacitidine therapy was less toxic, including hematoxicity, compared with conventional chemotherapy. The CR rate in azacitidine-treated patients was inadequate; however, some characteristics could be useful in predicting azacitidine responders. The present case is useful for treating Jehovah’s Witnesses patients with AML and provides a clue for anti-AML therapy requiring minimum blood transfusions.
What about sickle cell anemia?
Did you notice that some doctors refused to administer alternative treatment, out of fear - fear the patient dies?
That really is informative.
Does that explain why Witness patients die?
Yes. It does. I personally know of a case where a bleeding patent was not treated because they refused blood transfusion, and it was claimed that the patient died because they refused a blood transfusion.
That was not the truth.
They died because professionalism was lacking... and that's the case with deaths among JWs.
Thankfully many doctors are stepping up to the plate, and willing to be educated, and grow in their expertise, and this is helping save more lives, as doctors become more efficient at their job. Thanks to JWs, and their God, Jehovah, who gives wisdom to those seeking him.