Natural dying methods: Unfit parents hide son from cancer treatment

Unfortunately, there is no cure for what ails this poor kid's parents. I just hope their foolish irresponsibility won't cost their son his life.

 

Sorry, but I'm with the parents on this. We have surrendered entirely too much of our freedom to the Big Medicine/Big Pharmaceuticals cartel who have a ve$ted intere$t in chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer.

In my experience, alternative treatments do work. My brother-in-law had lung cancer (OK, the result of a lifelong smoking jones). Doctors told him that without chemo he had six months max. He went to clinic specializing in alternative treatment and six months later, he was cancer-free. He lived another 12 years before the cancer came back and got him.

And, in my judgment, a 13-year-old is old enough to make decisions about his own health care.

 

Clearly you read none of the story before posting this idiocy. The boy's cancer shrunk after the one chemo treatment he initially received. And the kid has a learning disability and is unable to read.

Still think the same way?

 

I did miss the part about the boy being mentally-challenged, and I never said conventional treatments don't work. But, yeah, I still think the same way. The parents should still have the right to say no to Big Brother telling them how to treat their child. I guess that's considered idiocy these days.

 

How about a learning disabled 13-year-old who cannot read? Can he make an informed decision?

Your brother-in-law was incredibly lucky. He greatly reduced his chances of survival and got away with it. Cancer treatments by the medical community in this country are not some big scam.

You've got one anecdote and that's enough for you? I've got more than I can count between family and friends and the doctors haven't been wrong once, good news or bad. My wife's aunt is still with us today because she was smart enough to listen. My best friend is still with us today because his parents were smart enough to listen.This poor 13-year-old boy might not be with us much longer because his parents were too stubborn or too stupid to listen, setting his treatment back three months.

The legal ruling was made and the parents chose to break the law and put their child at even greater risk. Then when they were pushed, they caved. If they were really so sure that chemo is wrong, why give in now? Because they don't know what they are doing and their foolishness could end up costing their son his life.

 

What if his parents regularly beat him? Should Big Brother not be allowed to tell them how to treat him in that case either?

Just so I'm not accused of playing "what if", letting the cancer ravage his body is just as inhumane and life-threating. It's child abuse, and the government has a duty to step in and prevent it.

Edit: Sorry to keep adding to this, but thoughts keep popping in.

I don't disagree with you at all that there's way too much money/waste in the medical profession.

 

Excellent comparison.

Sorry if I rant too much about this stuff. It burns me up to see people fail to properly care for their children and it is equally frustrating to see people choosing not to fight cancer properly. I've seen the fight won enough to know it is possible, and I have seen it lost enough to understand how high the stakes are. You don't fuck around with cancer, especially when it is your child that has it.

 

I have to agree with 'beetus on this. Parents are the last line of defense for any child. But parents fail. Everyday. It's why there are gov't agencies that step in if there is child abuse, neglect... you name it. I have no doubt in my mind that not treating that boy's cancer is neglect, at best.
And you want to know something? A 13-year-old with no real grasp of mortality is not in position to call the shots. Most 13 year olds are, maybe, just getting old enough to babysit. They can't work. Most can't date yet. So, they're qualified to decide medical care? Uh, no.

 

Well put. No wonder you're one of my favorite posters here. (Ok, really it's the cat licking the screen. Makes me smile every time and it made my daughter giggle like crazy when I showed her).

 

I think it would be different if this were something like the child's second or third round of chemo (meaning it hadn't worked before) and he was saying he didn't want to do it anymore. If that were the case, and it didn't seem like another round was that promising, I'd have to honor those wishes. Obviously that is not the case here, I just wanted to bring up that possible scenario.

 

Possibly, but sometimes it takes time to see results.

As you said, that wasn't the case here. Even just one treatment showed positive results.