Posted on 07/21/2006 5:00:44 PM PDT by Huntress
A judge ruled Friday that a 16-year-old boy fighting to use alternative treatment for his cancer must report to a hospital by Tuesday and accept treatment that doctors deem necessary, the family's attorney said.
The judge also found Starchild Abraham Cherrix's parents were neglectful for allowing him to pursue alternative treatment of a sugar-free, organic diet and herbal supplements supervised by a clinic in Mexico, lawyer John Stepanovich said.
Jay and Rose Cherrix of Chincoteague on Virginia's Eastern Shore must continue to share custody of their son with the Accomack County Department of Social Services, as the judge had previously ordered, Stepanovich said.
The parents were devastated by the new order and planned to appeal, the lawyer said.
Stepanovich said he will ask a higher court on Monday to stay enforcement of the order, which requires the parents to take Abraham to Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk and to give the oncologist their written legal consent to treat their son for Hodgkin's disease.
"I want to caution all parents of Virginia: Look out, because Social Services may be pounding on your door next when they disagree with the decision you've made about the health care of your child," Stepanovich said.
Phone calls to the Cherrix home went unanswered.
The lawyer declined to release the ruling, saying juvenile court Judge Jesse E. Demps has sealed much of the case.
Social Services officials have declined to comment, citing privacy laws.
After three months of chemotherapy last year made him nauseated and weak, Abraham rejected doctors' recommendations to go through a second round when he learned early this year that his Hodgkin's disease, a cancer of the lymph nodes, was active again.
A social worker then asked a judge to require the teen to continue conventional treatment. In May, the judge issued a temporary order finding Abraham's parents neglectful and awarding partial custody to the county, with Abraham continuing to live at home with his four siblings.
I assume we can now expect Children's services to take custody of all obese children since their parents are obviously being negligent in allowing them to remain obese. And, of course, it won't stop there. They'll find ways to make it mandatory for adults as well.
Wait . . . don't yell at me you all . . . I also acknowledge a friend who had a "fist sized" cancerous lump removed about 3 yrs ago, underwent chemo and radiation and so far seems to be doing fine. I think every body responds differently to whatever menace attacks, and we have to respond individually. The thought of the state being in charge gives me the willies.
I have not heard about MJ being used as a cancer treatment..just have heard about cancer patients saying that the use of MJ has reduced the amt of nausea they have, when having chemo treatments....
Judge, I tried that crap, it doesn't work and makes me feel like hell.
And frankly your honor this is none of your damn business!
I will NOT accept the treatment!
What are you going to do, tie me down and force it on me.
Go to hell!
The state needs to butt out.
Thanks for the ping!
And, in some diseases such as pancreatic cancer, which my father died of when I was 16, NOTHING will work.
Not chemotherapy. Not radiation therapy. Not surgery. NOTHING!
Yes, chemotherapy is worse than a tequila hangover on a ship riding out a hurricane and, in some cases, as in pancreatic cancer, it is totally worthless.
But, if you have Hodgkin's disease, putting up with the tequila hangover on a ship in riding out a hurricane and puking your guts out means the difference between life and death and, in over 90% of of the cases, the final outcome will be life instead of death.
If only my Dad had Hodgkin's disease instead of pancreatic cancer.
My post was in reply to another poster that equated chemotherapy to "medieval bloodletting" and labeled it as "evil".
Childhood Hodgkin’s disease (not adult Hodgkin’s disease as your spouse had) has an over 90% remission rate as opposed to a 100% mortality rate in 1906.
Whether or not the state should have forced chemotherapy on this child is one issue.
Claiming that chemotherapy is "evil" and equivalent to "medieval bloodletting" is a totally separate issue.
....parking blocks away to maneuver around the doctors Mercedes ......
I'm a doctor and I drive a 1994 Honda Accord. I'm frugal.
.....; she claims the woman will only live 15 years longer ave after treatment even when "cured"......
Given a choice of whether or not you puke your guts outs for a few months, would you rather spend the next 15 years living with your wife, children or grandchildren or would you rather have it been 15 years since your wife, children and grandchildren planted you in a six foot deep grave?
The thing that gets me is that they have already gone through 3 months of chemo. There is only so much of those chemicals that a person is supposed to be able to take. At least that is what my 23 year old sons oncologist told us about his treatment. There are so many factors that go into decisions for treatments. This judge in my opinion is being irresponsible at least and in violation of the rights of parents and son.
And if he, the judge, insists on treatment is he going to pay? Who will pay? Many cancer expenses are not covered by health ibnsurance!!!!
Thanks for the ping. Why is it the only word I can think of is unbelievable?
Yet, Judges have often ruled Jehovah's Witnesses and their children have the right to refuse blood transfusions or demand alternative treatment to blood.
That said..I am disgusted with this Judge. The young man was no ordinary 16 year old and was mature beyond his years.
I pray that he stays away from infection while he is on Chemo. IF he should die from Chemo complications, then that Judge should rot in hell!
sw
Good point.
My mother had a misdiagnosed thryroid condition for years - it was diagnosed as "asthma and allergies." Of course, this was in addition to the "anxiety" diagnosis. She refused to take tranquilizers, thankfully.
After years of taking unnecessary asthma and allergy medication (her hands used to tremble from it), she finally found a doctor who correctly diagnosed her.
She was treated for the thyroid condition, and was transformed.
Nah.
Perhaps as long as the parents retain primary custody, they have to sign, and he's saying "Sign, or I'll make the kid a ward of the state".
In 1996, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, rt side. Had surgery, 1 yr chemo & 4 mo. radiation. Tamoxifin to be taken for the rest of her life "as a preventative." She discontinued it after a year because she felt like total s*%t. In 1999, she was diagnosed with cancer in the left breast (wow, a whole year of chemo really helped it not come back...idiot oncologist blamed her discontinuance of Tamox.). She opted for a double mast. which I thought was like hitting a gnat with a sledgehammer - due to another horrible family event (my 30-yr old bro had a heart attack - endocarditis) her surgery was put off for three weeks, and she opted for just the lumpectomy.
I had three weeks to "prep" her with stuff out of Mexico & Canada, plus heavy hitter supplements.
When the day came for surgery, surgeon *was unable to find* the tumor and told me he cut around the area where it was thought to have been on the first mammogram. No cancer in lymph nodes. She did do radiation but not chemo.
In 2003, a mass grew in her brain. Immediately, they called it brain met. We were devastated. She went for all the other scans & tests, because if it was in her brain, it would be all through her. Took 2 days for tests to come back because several radiologists had to look at them - WHY? Because where they assumed they would find cancer, THERE WAS NONE.
Turns out it was a brain abscess.
I tend to agree.
I bet at this point they wouldn't be allowed to leave.
I'd like to offer up a personal anecdote vis-a-vis supplements and other natural, non-prescription remedies. I've been coping with bi-lateral osteoarthritis since about the age of 25 (I'm 42, now). Very athletic my entire life but the onset of OA brought most high-impact physical activity to a screeching halt. Even walking for extended periods of time would cause terrible inflammation and loss of mobility for several days. Long story short, put myself on Chondroitin Sulfate and Glucosamine about 10 years ago and stayed on it for 6 months (haven't used it since because I haven't had to). I can now engage in very strenuous physical activity and have been studying Krav Maga (Israeli martial arts)for the past 5 years without any swelling or stiffness. I believe the supplements stopped and reversed my arthritis.
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