Oregon mom convicted for preventing daughter from receiving surgery for liver cancer
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An Oregon mother has been found guilty of first-degree custodial interference and two counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment for using alternative medicine like CBD oil to treat her daughter’s liver cancer, and for keeping the teenager away from scheduled surgery.
Thirty-nine-year-old Wilsonville resident Christina Dixon was first indicted in 2019 after she and daughter Kylee Dixon — who was 13 at the time — failed to show up for a medical procedure scheduled for June 6.
Officials deemed Kylee a ward of the state, and ordered Christina to bring the teen to the Oregon Department of Human Services.
During the early phases of authorities’ search for the mother and daughter, investigators believed they were somewhere along the Oregon Coast. But on June 13, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office announced that Christina and Kylee were found in the Longhorn Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas. The teen was taken into protective custody that same day.
Later in June, demonstrators gathered in Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square to show support for the Dixons.
One rally attendee, who described herself as a family friend, said that Christina’s research on Kylee’s medical condition introduced her to a “naturopathic doctor.” The family friend claimed that the new doctor prescribed the teen with a regimen that shrunk her liver tumor to 10% of its original size.
According to the American Cancer Society, researchers have conducted early clinical trials on CBD's affect on cancer treatment — and there are more studies underway.
"While the studies so far have shown that cannabinoids can be safe in treating cancer, they do not show that they help control or cure the disease," ACS said.
Christina was officially booked into the Clackamas County Jail in August 2019, after turning herself in to police.
More recently on Nov. 17, the defendant was convicted of custodial interference and criminal mistreatment — although she says Kylee is currently in good health.
On Sunday, Christina requested that the court delay her sentencing as she searches for a new attorney to represent her case. The sentencing is now scheduled on Dec. 8.