Alabama Mother Signs Advanced Directive for Son; School Won't Let Him Back In

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An Alabama teen with a terminal heart condition has not returned to school after a spate of hospitalizations because of what his mother says is a dispute with school officials about how he might die.

Alex Hoover's case presents something of a legal loophole: His mother, Rene, has drawn up legal documents known as an advance directive to ensure the 14-year-old is not revived if he goes into cardiac arrest. But officials say they can't follow that directive if his heart stops at school.

Rene Hoover says she does not want her son's last days spent enduring a battery of medical procedures and medication as a result of his condition, aortic mitral valve stenosis. The condition causes the heart's mitral valve to narrow and restrict blood flow.

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Aside from liability concerns, school officials likely have concerns over the potential impact on students who could witness the teen's death, Meisel said.

However, Hoover said she simply wants her son to live as fully and normally as possible.

"We want him to have comfort and peace," Hoover said. "Emotionally, it is probably the hardest thing I think a human being could go through; knowing that you have to choose not if your child's gonna die, but how your child's gonna die."

Republican state Rep. Mac McCutcheon said he's considering introducing legislation next year to allow advance directives to cover minors after hearing about Hoover's case. McCutcheon said medical professionals could take a student with an advance directive to a private area in the event of a medical emergency to lessen the impact on other students and teachers.

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