PORTLAND — An Oregon teenager who was taken out of state by her mother to avoid surgery for a rare type of liver cancer has had the operation while in the custody of the state welfare officials, several Portland TV outlets reported Thursday.
Kylee Dixon, 13, was recovering in an intensive care unit after surgery on Tuesday to remove liver tumors, KPTV-TV reported. Her mother, Christine Dixon, said she was allowed a supervised visit with Kylee after the surgery despite a no-contact order.
“She was alert and excited,” the mother told KGW-TV. “We’re just praying and hoping for the best.”
The Dixons traveled to Las Vegas in June after prosecutors say Christine Dixon refused to turn Kylee over to the state for the surgery.
Christine Dixon has said months of chemotherapy debilitated her daughter and that she did much better on CBD oil, a non-psychoactive compound extracted from cannabis plants, and other alternative therapies.
The state has said there was a 70 percent chance that surgery would stop the tumor’s growth.
Surgery on the tumor planned for last September was canceled at the last moment as the judge sought more medical information.
At a Jan. 6 hearing, the state attorney general’s office presented scans to the court showing that the tumor remained active.
Martin McMahon, an attorney with the Oregon Department of Human Services, told the judge that multiple doctors said Kylee’s condition was a “medical emergency” and the judge allowed the surgery to proceed.
