Has Family policy re: medicine changed?

Observer wrote to OWK (One Who Knows):

My intention is not to offend you or to totally dis your source or the accuracy of all his details, but please understand that all of us were in this same cult & you must realize it's an uphill struggle to convince us that things have changed so radically from the horror we once knew. The heart of my post above & the question I'd like answered is this:

Frankly, I find it astonishing to hear that the Family Aid Fund kicked in for all of her expenses, & that the Family (despite its horrific record & stance in the past)allowed her to have all the medical attention she wanted. This stretches my credulity to the breaking point. Where was this wonderful attitude toward the medical profession when Peter Frouman's mother was dying of cancer? Where was the Family Aid Fund for her? We're talking about the same Family Int'l whose founder wrote 'Pill or Pilgrimage' aren't we? Can you name the new Family pub that totally turned this policy around? I'd like to read it.

Andrew also asked:

Remember Peter Puppet? He was forced to drop treatment & take the Pill of Pilgrimage & go healthy food & prayer only & he died.
Remember Shulamite? She was forced to take the Pill or Pilgrimage way & forsake medication & she died. The list goes on & on.

OWK answered:

If you backtrack you’ll find that I stated that the FAF contributed heavily toward her medical bills, not that they paid all bills. Again, that’s just an undisputed fact. They did. That is what this fund is set up for. It’s kind of like a Family insurance program. It was already installed when I left eight years ago. I don’t know when and where Peter’s wife died, but from what I understand the FAF will kick in in desperate cases, depending on resources available at the time of the call.

Gee, I hope I’m not coming across here as a Family apologist, I’m simply trying to be objective and stick to the facts. The Family has already years and years ago taken on a totally different stance from what was suggested in Pill and Pilgrimage. During the days of persecution and the inception of the charter back in the early nineties they made it explicitly clear that the decision of whether to solicit medical help/treatment, etc., or not, rests with the individuals and not with any of their leaders or “shepherds”.

This is also anchored in their charter. They pretty much stuck to that. They were scared to death of law suits, consequences and blame in case someone would die in case of neglect. If you follow their publications and “prayer lists”, which I sometimes have access to, you’ll find frequent mention of cases like “pray for so-and-so who has cancer and is receiving chemo, for the Lord to heal her, etc.” There are also others, where you can read “please pray for so-and-so who cancer and has decided to take a stand of faith instead of drugs.”

Again, this softer attitude was already firmly in place in 1998 when I left. I’m sure others who left around the same time can confirm this for you. Hope that helps. OWK

Jojo wrote:

Like OWK says, the charter in the family is very clear that these types of medical decisions are now left up to the individuals involved. They are not dictated by the "Pill or Pilgrimage" letter of old.

I know of one case in Taiwan where a dear sister passed away from cancer. She lived only a mile away from where I lived. Every decision made about her care was made by her and her husband. She decided not to take the medical route. We all stood by her decision in prayer and support. She made that decision after spending many months visiting a wife of another friend who was in hospital with cancer and seeing many of the people there basically dying very slowly and in a lot of pain and saying she didn't have the grace to go through that.

In the end she made a trip to Baja California for a natural course of treatments. The family aid fund pitched in a lot of money towards the trip and treatments. After spending 3 weeks there she was preparing to return to Taiwan and took a really sharp turn for the worst and passed away very quickly. Her husband was able to bring her ashes back to Taiwan where we had a very beautiful and touching memorial service and funeral for her and have her ashes buried where she wished.

After reading the various posts here, it seems that every situation has been different for different people. Like Peter Puppet's situation. He was sent back to Australia by himself and was put into a hospital. I was living (or rather serving as a gopher) with the leaders of Australia at the time and we never really talked about him at all. I used to find out what was going on with him through the only brother who used to visit him and spend time with him. The sad part is he died on his own, as even his own father who was a doctor basically disowned him because he did not take the chemo. No family members went to his funeral. It was a total disgrace and a real blot on the family. I still don't really know why the big secret. I think it had to do with the letter that DB wrote about him, which was very cruel and heartless. Enough for now. JoJo

Susie wrote:

That is so sad. Although, there was a choice given via the Charter regarding medical treatment, we all know the psychological pressure to 'have faith' and the feeling of failure if you didn't. Just before I left the Family, both my kids got dysentary. They were near death but still my husband would not let me take them to the doctor for fear of losing face. Finally a sweet Thai sister who name I cannot remember took them to a doctor and paid for it! (he refused).