A Mother Denies Her Son Chemotherapy

Mixed feelings. I read about Obama saying his mom had to fight the insurance co. to pay (cancer). I have a friend whose insurance is fighting her EVERY step of the way on her mother -in-law's open heart surgery (they act like there is an option - there is, she could die, I guess that would be cheaper for them). They squirm their way out any way they can. This mom is stressed! I had a blood clot and I had to get shots to take at home, $1000/week ,and we could not pay for anything else (groceries)! What if I had not been able to pay? I had cancer 10 yrs. ago and waited a year before I did anything, in denial/could not deal with it. I was an adult and I was that messed up from it. Can you imagine (I cannot) a child going through this? Now add to it, he is on the run! And he knows if he comes home, he will get taken away from his FAMILY. Someone should ask him what he wants. Maybe he feels he cannot deal with the pain, sickness & feelings from the treatment.

While I agree that treatment should be left up to the individual, in this case it is a child. He is not developmentally ready to make such a decision, and apparently his mother isn't either since she would rather try to treat cancer with vitamins and herbal remedies. What a nutjob. The chances of recovery are so high that treatment should not even be questioned in this case...you do what you need to do however unpleasant if a full recovery is pretty much guaranteed.

I personally have been through chemo myself and sometimes its not pleasent. I think it should be totally up to the child, I did the same thing he did, I had one round on chemo and the decided to get other opions from other doctors and try to seek alternative medicines. If thats what he wants then thats how it should be left, it should not be the courts decision at all! I would never go through chemo again you are sick for weeks after it and just when it stops your next treatment is coming back up, its impossiable somethimes to even get out of bed and no teenager wants to do that, I was only 18 when I had chemo and all I could think about was going out and enjoying life it made me so depressed. I think the mother and child are right about their decission.

I can't understand why this mother would not want to save her child..he can't make a decision about life her doesn't understand. I am sure she has her reasons and I hope they are good because I could not deny my son a life.

I think this woman is crazy for not wanting to give her son the treatment that he needs to keep him alive. I don't understand how anyone would not want to do whatever was needed to keep their child alive for as a long as possible. What are her sons wishes is what I would like to know?

First of all why don't someone ask Daniel what he wants. Second of all this mother is probably so scared right now; you are only chasing her further and further away. Cancer is a very stressful thing. We live in America we should have the right to go where we need to for treatments. But insurance companies do not let this happen. There are cancer centers that opt alternative treatments. Some people do not realize what you go thru when you have cancer or are the care takers for someone who have cancer. People have had to pay for medications up front. These medications are very expensive. I think right now that they need to stop threatening this mom that they are going to take her son away. They need to give them help. Taking Daniel away will only hurt Daniel and his family. Work on bringing them back home and helping them. I pray that Daniel and his mom are safe.

One thing alot of people forget is that Luke in the Bible that was a disciple for Jesus Christ was a Doctor. So in my opinion, (and of course we all have one)...I think it is ok to have a Doctors advice. On the other hand Doctors are not Gods (ok..some think they are)...so decisions should be personal. I know in this case it is a child. I would want care for my child and the Mother has been taking care of this child in the best way she knows. However, if the court has ordered treatment, then it is criminal to run from that decision. My hope is that they come back home..let the boy make his voice heard..and go from there. Of course, anyone knows that doesn't always work this way. Yet the child should be able to speak. On the other hand, not being an adult..the child only knows what mom and dad have taught him. So will his decison be on what mom and dad want or would it be his very own. Lots of pros and cons on this one.

I would do whatever it takes to save his life. I feel like God has given people the knowledge to create these treatments and give life to someone like this child. My mother died from cancer and refused to take the treatments for it. Could chemo have saved her life...I don't know but it would have been great if she would have taken the treatments and given us more time with her. The difference is that my mother was an adult. I believe that this boy should take the treatment, especially given the odds that he has to survive. To me his mother is giving him a death sentence.

As a parent I would find if difficult to force my child to take treatments that he or she did not want to take. However, if their life would be at risk I WOULD tell them they had NO choice if under the age of 21. I can't emagine not doing what I could to save my childs life!

It is the parents decision on whether or not he/she wants to give treatment, not the courts. This is why Big Government doesn't work. If she feels that the better option is to deny treatment, then that is her decision. I am sure she has spoken with her son about it and they have this decision together. Mother's know what is right for their children! She is trying to do the right thing!

I had read an article (AP) that said that Daniel couldn't read and therefore did not understand what his options were. However, the same article states that he did go to one round of chemo and then decided to stop and seek alternative treatment. I think it's ultimately his choice what to do with his life, and it seems like his choice has been made.

What an incredibly slanted article. You make it sound like it's solely been Colleen Hauser's decision to deny treatment for her son, when in truth, it was Daniel's as well. He's been telling people that he doesn't want chemo because he's afraid it will kill him, but the judge involved in his case has been using Daniel's other problems as a reason to dismiss his ability to decide what he wants to do with his own body ("The judge has said the boy, who has trouble reading and writing, has "limited capacity" to understand his illness and the treatment for it." --USA Today). Next time, try to form an opinion on facts, not your own baseless speculation, hm?

I think that where this child isn't a child but a teenager who can and should be given the choice as to whether or not he wants the chemotherapy. It is the child that has to go through the trials and tribulations and possible false hope of this treatment it is the child. My son was born deaf and just this year I gave him the choice to have surgery to correct his hearing. I left that decision up to my child because it was not me who had to undergo the procedure and recovery it was my son. We explained to him the chance that it may or may not work he understood and took the surgery to correct his right ear. Now he has asked to wait a few years to do the left ear and I will because it is HIS body and not mine. I will protect my children but also give them the choice where it concerns how he will feel and not by my being glad he had this surgery. Also the teenage boy has patients rights and one of the patients rights is "The right to refuse treatment"

Being someone from the medical field, I understand what this mother is facing. She may be very concerned with her childs quality of life instead of quanity of life. This child is of age that he could voice his wants and wishes and the mother could be abiding by them. We are always so quick to judge, and forget how to understand the cultural and religious decisions that people make when in it comes to medicine.

I feel that the courts do not have the right to infringe on what a parent feels is right for their child in health care. The child is getting treatment,just not chemo. The child could get chemo and die,the child could get alternative medicine and die. Leave them alone,let them do what they feel is best. Let them enjoy time with their son. Plus, I am sure that the stress that courts and media are putting on this family is not helping the boy's health at all. He needs to be left alone and to be with his family. I know two cancer survivors that never took chemo. Chemo isnt always the answer.