A vegan couple from Australia is being called out after they starved their baby of essential nutrients by placing her on a strict vegan diet, leaving her with permanent brain damage.
Victoria’s County Court claims it heard the horrifying case where the one-year-old child was left with damage in the form of cerebral palsy which doctors claim took place due to the malnutrition from the harsh diet by the parents.
According to reports, when the paramedics informed the parents that their child’s diet was just not nutritious enough, they panicked immediately.
Therefore, they thought of resorting to other means by looking at websites based upon alternative medicine. The websites from both the US and Queensland provided the couple with guidance as well as skipped medical appointments too.
In one particular message, the young mum sent a message to the website where she questioned about her daughter’s extreme weight loss as well as body floppiness that was seen all over.
But in 2018 August, the young child ended up at the University Hospital Geelong where she was immediately put on a life support machine.
Yes, that’s how severe her condition had become in such a short amount of time. Doctors also explained to the parents about the seriousness of the situation, adding how she was literally bleeding on the inside. In addition, they made them aware of her bloody stools, rashes, skin discoloration, open wounds, and plenty of bruising that was easily discernable.
The child also suffered from a condition known as kwashiorkor which is caused due to a deficiency of proteins in the diet. Shockingly, these types of conditions are commonly observed in third-world developing countries that usually experience a famine.
But one week before she was hospitalized, her dad went ahead and generated an email to the herbal-based website for advice. He even explained how his daughter was only on a fruit diet who has now started to experience symptoms that kept on getting worse. Little did he know, she was heading towards irreversible brain damage thanks to their poor diet making decisions.
On Monday, the couple was charged for negligence and causing severe injury to their child which they admitted. They have also been advised to take on mental health counseling sessions alongside their one-year community service probation period.