Alaska Family Living In ‘Nightmare’ After Son Declared Ward of State Following Hospital Visit

An Alaska family says they are living in a “nightmare” after their son’s visit to an Anchorage hospital morphed into a custody battle that stripped them of their right to visit their child. In an extensive interview with TheBlaze Wednesday, Lorraine and her husband Glenn told their heartfelt story.

Last year, they said, at 26 years old, Bret was an athletic, healthy field guide for hunters. His only medical issue was the development of some nasal polyps — overgrowths in the nose — last fall.

After they were surgically removed, the growths came back and Bret was prescribed Prednisone, an anti-inflammatory
medication.That’s when his trouble started.

While on the drug, Bret soon became unable to sleep. In October, his parents took their son to Providence Medical Center for severe insomnia. Doctors there prescribed drugs and sent him home. Things soon got worse. Bret’s health deteriorated rapidly and, after a seizure, his family decided to take him back to the hospital.

In the hospital, Bret was unable to sleep for some 24 days and his mental faculties were significantly diminished.

His parents said that at this point, they assumed power of attorney over him, using a written agreement allowing them to make medical decisions for him.

That agreement was initially drawn up in 2007, when Bret was a healthy 20-year-old.

More than 35 lab tests were conducted to diagnose Bret, but all came back clean. Meanwhile, his family said, doctors were medicating him with dozens of drugs, rendering him in a state of “delirium.”

At one point, they said, Bret became so frustrated that he attempted to leave the hospital on his own, but was talked down by his parents. That’s when his family, who contend the hospital’s course of treatment made their son worse, asked for a second opinion or different course of medical action.

They say they were denied and were not permitted to withdraw their son from the hospital.

Eventually, a custody battle broke out. A judge ultimately ruled in favor of the state.

Now, the 27-year-old is a ward of the state and has been diagnosed with a metal-disorder, which has resulted in doctors heavily medicating him with various drugs, his family told TheBlaze. “The state of Alaska owns him basically,” Lorraine Bohn said.

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Alaska Family Living In ‘Nightmare’ After Son Declared Ward of State Following Hospital Visit