Get your tissues because you’re not going to be able to take this story of child neglect. Eight-year-old Willie Robinson had massive swollen glands on his neck for more than two years. As his health got worse and worse, both Willie and his relatives told his parents the boy needed medical attention, but they never took him to the doctor. Willie eventually collapsed and died from highly treatable Hodgkins lymphoma, weighing only 51 pounds at the time of his death.

Yesterday, Willie’s parents Monica Hussing and William Robinson Sr. were sentenced to eight years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. They received the longest sentence the Cleveland judge could give after having pleaded guilty to avoid trial.
Hussing and Robinson’s lawyers had argued that the parents couldn’t afford medical treatment for their son. More than eight different family members tried to get them to take Willie to see the doctor as he deteriorated before their eyes. The Washington Post reports that prosecutors argued Willie also, “… had begged his parents to take him to see a doctor but was rejected.” Local doctors testified that even if the parents couldn’t afford it, Willie would never have been turned away by hospitals.

Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer that starts in the body’s white blood cells and spreads through lymph nodes, thus the softball-sized swollen glands from which Willie suffered. According to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Hodgkin lymphoma (also known by many as Hodgkin’s disease) is one of the most curable forms of cancer. More than 80% of people treated for the disease go on to live long and happy lives. But not Willie, because he was never treated. What a travesty.

http://blogs.babble.com/strollerderby/2012/02/17/neglect-leads-to-childs-hodgkins-death-prison-sentence-for-parents/?utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=babbleeditors&utm_content=post&utm_medium=referral

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If you child is ill, you take them to see a doctor. There's no excuse what so ever for a child to die due to parental neglect. This just pisses me off! These people were sentenced to 8 years in prison for not saving their child's life. It was a curable disease! How in the hell can a parent just sit back and watch their child suffer like these parents did? What are your thoughts? Is an 8 year sentence long enough, or do you think they should have gotten a longer sentence?

8 years, is just... pathetic. And how is it involuntary manslaughter? They KNEW he wasn't right, and KNEW he needed to get medical attention.

The sentences for things like this are not long enough. A man here threw a baby 4ft across the room, he hit the wall and passed away. The most jail time that fucker can get is 15 years. Which means with good behavior and crap, he'll probably be out in like 7 or 8.

8 years for killing babies.

oh my gracious, that's horrible!
Their sentence should be much longer because they KNEW something was wrong.
Life...

Shame on the parents yes... but shame on the relatives too, and any teachers this kid had... if that boy had been my nephew or cousin or whatever kind of relative and I knew his parents weren't seeking medical attention, I would take the child myself... neglect on so many levels here.

:(

Isn't blatant neglect such as this grounds to bring child services into the situation? SOMETHING could have been done. Talk about a pointless death..

I feel there's more to this story. Yes his parents should have taken him to a doctor but what about the other relatives, what about his teachers? This was a child clearly suffering from neglect with parents who either didn't care or were not capable of recognising something was wrong, and either way the family needed help... but any one of the many people who must have known this family could have (and maybe did) contacted social services to investigate. But it just seems to me that a lot of the facts are probably missing from this story.

I agree with everyone!!! This is truly sad & could have been prevented :(

I get the health insurance issue BUT it still wasn't a reason to not take their child to seek medical attention. I'm sure they could of figured something out. Instead, they just let their son suffer until his small body couldn't take it and die! Wow, what is wrong with people? Maybe there are missing facts to the story but it still doesn't make it right. Eight years is nothing. I cannot imagine how much pain that poor kid went though. This is neglect, child abuse, and man slaughter.

This is awful. I agree with everyone that the sentence is much too short for knowingly killing a child. I also think there is more to the story, however. Many schools and daycares are mandated reporters, and if they hadn't reported this either, they're in the wrong too.