A St. Paul woman who waited months before getting treatment for a burn on her disabled adult son's foot, leading to an infection so severe his leg had to be amputated, was sentenced Monday to two years of probation.

Christine Ruth Nelson, 61, pleaded guilty in April to a gross-misdemeanor count of neglect of a vulnerable adult, which could be reduced to a misdemeanor if she successfully completes probation. Ramsey County District Judge J. Thomas Mott also lifted a no-contact order so Nelson may be able to see her son, who has a new legal guardian.

"My chief concern at this time is to lessen the amount of hardship on my son," Nelson told Mott. "He needs to know his mom has not abandoned him."

Kevin DeVore, Nelson's attorney, told Mott it was his client's "love of her child" and stubbornness" that caused the situation.

The autistic and developmentally disabled son was 35 last July when he stepped on something while walking barefoot outside, severely burning his foot, according to the charges. Nelson took him to a clinic nearly a month later, where she was told that her son should be admitted to the burn unit at Regions Hospital. She refused to take him.

Between August and October 2010, Nelson took her son, who can't speak, to medical clinics and hospital emergency rooms five times. She continued to ignore the urgent warnings of medical professionals. In late October, Nelson took her son to the emergency room again, where his right leg was amputated up to the knee because it had developed gangrene.

Mott told Nelson that while she had tried hard for many years to take care of her son on her own, she needed to accept help from other people.

"You weren't motivated by ill will," Mott said. "I know you were trying to do the best for your son."

Lora Pabst • 612-916-7212