'I love you more than anything in the world': Girl, 15, forced to send notes to her parents hidden in origami after they lose custody of her to a HOSPITAL



Justina Pelletier was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease as a child



The 15-year-old was admitted to Boston Children's Hospital after coming down with the flu



She has been kept there against her will for nine months



Doctors have claimed the teen is in fact suffering a mental illness that manifests itself in physical symptoms



Her parents are embroiled in a custody battle with the hospital who did not wish to comment

Neither the Department of Children and Families or hospital were able to comment after a court judge prohibited public statements being made

The parents of a 15-year-old girl who has a long history of medical problems have lost custody of her to a hospital.

Justina Pelletier was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease, a genetic disorder that can cause loss of muscle coordination and weakness, several years ago.



The teenager from West Hartford, Connecticut, however was able to live a normal life until coming down with the flu in February.

'Don't forget me': Justina Pelletier pictured in Boston Children's Hospital where she has been held against her will for nine months by doctors who believe she is suffering from a mental illness

The family are only able to visit 15-year-old Justina at the hospital (pictured) for one hour every week, and can speak only twice a week on the phone for 20 minutes at a time

Justina was admitted to Boston Children's Hospital to receive treatment from a specialist she has known since her diagnosis.



Upon admission however a team of new doctors allegedly swooped in on the teen and came up with a different conclusion about her condition.



They also cast doubt on whether she had ever had mitochondrial disease, suggesting she in fact suffering from Somafotorm disorder - a psychological condition that manifests itself in physical symptoms.



After the conflicting diagnosis, doctors allegedly gave Justina's parents the heart-breaking news that they wouldn't be able to take their daughter home.



Nine months after the incident. Mr and Mrs Pelletier remain embroiled in a bitter custody battle with the hospital who allow Justina so little time to see her family she has resorted to smuggling letters to them in origami artwork.



'This one’s in her artwork,' says Justina’s sister, Jennifer, pointing to a folded note.

Justina has resorted to hiding handwritten notes to her family in origami artwork

Despite being diagnosed with the condition which can affect muscle coordination and mobility, 15-year-old Justina lived a normal life until being taken to Boston Children's Hospital in February



'It's kidnapping': Justina's parents Lou and Linda Pelletier have been left embroiled in a bitter custody battle with the hospital



'I know you trust in me. Don’t forget it. I love you more than everything in the whole world. Justina,' Linda Pelletier reads from one note.

The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families allows Justina’s parents just one hour-long visit per week and two twenty minute phone calls.



Before being taken to hospital after coming down with the flu in February, Justina enjoyed a normal life and was a keen ice-skater

Speaking of the moment their daughter was taken away from her, the teenager's mother said: ''They came in, and they said we cannot take Justina out of the hospital.

'They called DCF (Department for Children and Families).



'They said Justina had 'somatoform disorder,' a form of mental illness that is characterized by physical symptoms.'

Linda and her husband Lou Pelletier were escorted out of the hospital by security, and within the short space of four days they had lost custody of their beloved daughter.



'It's beyond any wildest nightmare that you could think of,' said the teenager's father.

'It's kidnapping,' he told Fox CT.

'It's the most bizarre situation I've ever been involved with,' said Dean Hokanson, Justina's clinical psychologist.



'They were actually being accused of being too active in pursuing healthcare matters for their child,' said Hokanson who has been involved with the Pelletier family for five years.



Now, the family is locked into a bitter custody battle with the hospital that has allegedly accused them of 'overmedicalizing' their child.



Doctors at Boston Children's Hospital involved the Department of Children and Families after asserting Justina's parents were 'overmedicalizing' her

THE CONFLICTING DIAGNOSES THAT HAVE RIPPED THE PELLETIER FAMILY APART

Justina was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease several years ago, a genetic condition that affects muscle coordination and mobility.

The illness includes a group of n euromuscular diseases caused by damage to intracellular structures that produce energy. There is no cure for the condition that is progressive and can cause death. Symptoms can include weakness, intolerance for exercise, heart failure, dementia and rhythm disturbances. Every year 1,000 to 4,000 children in the United states are born with a mitochondrial disease. After being admitted to Boston Children's Hospital in February however doctors concluded the teenager was suffering from Somafotorm disorder, a psychological condition that causes sufferers to feel pain, although there is no physical cause for it.

Sufferers do not feign the physical symptoms they feel, rather they present themselves as the result of mental strain. Doctors cannot identify the sources of patients' pain and instead prescribe antidepressants. Patients can become increasingly frustrated with the diagnosis as there is seemingly no explanation for their symptoms. Experts estimate that between 0.2 and 2 per cent of females and less than 0.2. per cent of men in the US suffer from the condition .

While the Pelletier family were able to give their account before the court case began, the Department of Children and Families and Boston Children's hospital could not comment on the case following a judge's decision to prohibit public statements.

A spokesperson for the DCF said the Department tried to 'abide' by the recommendations of doctors where possible

Internal discharge documents however reveal why the hospital may have felt inclined to involve child protection authorities.



A report, written in April 2013 by one of the hospital's staff states how doctors took Justina off many of the medications she was taking at the time she was admitted.

'Due to concerns regarding Justina’s regressive behavior changes around her family, the multiple medical procedures and care episodes she has been through … and both parents’ resistance towards recommended treatment plans for Justina … a child protection team was convened,' it read.

The Pelletier family however provided proof that every procedure and prescription in Justina's medical history was sanctioned by doctors, including Tufts Medical Center specialist, Dr Mark Korson.



In an email to the family, the doctor wrote: 'I am dismayed... it feels like Justina's treatment team is out to prove the diagnosis at all costs... The team has demanded that Justina be removed from the home... This represents the most severe and intrusive intervention a parent can undergo... for a clinical hunch.'



Dr. Amel Karaa of Massachusetts General Hospital, says conditions like mitochondrial disorder commonly lead to confusion for health care providers.

She told Fox news: 'A lot of social cases have been reported where the children were taken away from their parents by social services and the hospital because the medical team thought that the parents were causing this to their child.'

