A cancer stricken Canadian girl is hiding out with her family in an attempt to avoid blood transfusions according to authorities in British Columbia.

According to doctors, the girl, whose name is being withheld because of her age, needs a blood transfusion or else she will die. Some cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy require transfusions because the chemo sometimes prevents the production of new blood cells.

The girl and her family are Jehovah's Witnesses and their religious beliefs do not permit blood transfusions. However, the family's attorney, Shane Brady, says the case is not about religion.

'What we have here is a case whether a capable person of any age can decide her treatment,' Brady told 'The Toronto Sun.'

The B.C. court ruled that the girl was capable of making a decision but the law states that a person must be 19 before refusing lifesaving medical treatment. The court therefore ruled that the girl had to undergo the transfusion on April 11.

Brady claims that the girl is seeking medical alternatives to blood transfusions. She has already had surgery to her right leg to remove a cancerous tumor.

Although local authorities in Toronto, where the hearing will be held are presently unaware of the teens whereabouts, Brady says the family will attend the hearing tomorrow.

An air ambulance is on standby ready to take her back to B.C. if the court orders it.

Can a teen refuse what her doctors say is life saving medical treatment, even if it's for religious purposes? This is the hard question the courts must answer in this case. Their decision will not be an easy one.