HORROR! Couple Refuses to Medically Treat Their Toddler for Meningitis – Used Maple Syrup Instead

by Cassy Fiano | March 10, 2016 5:34 pm

The trend of eschewing medicine for “natural” remedies is one of the worst things to happen to modern society. Often, children are the ones to pay the price for it, too — which is exactly what happened when these parents tried to treat their toddler’s meningitis with maple syrup.

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A Canadian couple charged with allowing their toddler son to die of meningitis were told by a nurse friend that the boy could have the condition, a court has heard.

David Stephan, 32, and wife Collet, 35, from Alberta, who own a nutrition business, are accused of giving 18-month-old Ezekiel home remedies in a failed attempt to cure him and only calling doctors after the boy stopped breathing.

On Tuesday a court heard Collet called nurse and midwife Terry Meynders, who had assisted her with her home births, to look at Ezekiel two days before he died.

Meynders testified that Collet believed Ezekiel might be suffering from croup after he feel asleep in the bath, but when Meynders examined the boy as he lay asleep he did not appear to be infected.

Meynders said she mentioned that Ezekiel might have been suffering from meningitis and advised Collet to take him to see a doctor.

Throughout her testimony, Meynders stressed that she did not go to the Stephans house as a medical professional, and went simply because she was friends with Collet.

Prosecutors previously told the court that by the time Ezekiel died he had been ill for a couple weeks, before he stopped breathing. He later died in a hospital after five days on life support.

The Stephans allegedly fed the boy, who was lethargic and becoming stiff, supplements with an eye dropper.

In hopes of boosting Ezekiel’s immune system, the couple gave the boy home remedies such as water with maple syrup and juice with frozen berries.

Despite his deteriorating condition, they also forced him to consume a mixture of apple cider vinegar, horse radish root, hot peppers, mashed onion, garlic and ginger root.

The Stephans also tried treating Ezekiel with Empowerplus, a product sold by the couple’s company, Truehope Nutritional Support Inc

The company claims the product can help to manage mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, the court heard.

Health Canada launched an unsuccessful court case to stop the distribution of the company’s supplement in 2004 and issued warnings about it.

When the boy stopped breathing, he was airlifted to a Calgary hospital where he later died of meningitis.

In an audio tape played in court by Crown counsel, the couple are heard explaining to a police officer that they prefer naturopathic remedies.

They are heard saying that the family has had negative experiences with the medical system.

It is absolutely horrific that this child had to suffer for weeks with meningitis, while his parents did nothing to help him. They should be in prison.