The ongoing debate between parents and doctors over who should have the final say about children’s health continues. In fact, it seems to just be getting more and more heated.
This latest case involves a 3-year-old boy with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and a disagreement around chemotherapy.
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Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a rapidly spreading cancer.
It is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow.
It’s typically treated with chemotherapy, which is most effective in younger patients. The treatment takes four-to-six weeks to complete, but the sooner you begin to show signs of no remaining ALL cells in the blood and marrow, the better your chances of going into full remission.
Joshua “Noah” McAdams was diagnosed in April with the disease.
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital administered two rounds of chemotherapy treatment, after which tests confirmed there were no remaining ALL cells found in his blood.
No bone marrow test was performed and there are conflicting stories about whether it was the hospital or the parents that refused to do one.
Parents Joshua McAdams and Taylor Bland-Ball were allowed to take him home, with an appointment to return and complete the chemotherapy treatments.
But when that appointment date arrived, the family didn’t show up.
After repeated attempts to get them to come in, child services and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office were contacted.
It turned out that the family had left the state and the sheriff’s office issued a missing and endangered child alert , stating:
“On April 22, 2019 the parents failed to bring in the child to a medically necessary hospital procedure. The parents have further refused to follow up with the life saving medical care the child needs. The parents have possible criminal child neglect charges pending. Please use caution as the father is potentially armed. Information is that the child is possibly headed to Kentucky.”
They were found in Kentucky, where they said they were looking for a second opinion.
According to Taylor’s own Facebook post after the original discharge from the hospital:
“We did two rounds of chemotherapy, specifically vincristine because they can get a medical court order to force you to do it anyways for a child with his diagnosis. We also used rosemary, Vitamin B Complex, including B17, completely alkaline diet, Rosemary, a liver/kidney/gallbladder/blood herbal extract, daily colloidal silver, high dose vitamin c, collagen, Reishi mushroom tea and grapefruit peel and breastmilk! We will continue to use these remedies for maintenance for the next ten years!”
They now face possible child neglect charges and Noah has been placed in the custody of his grandparents.
Doctors warned of the potential dangers of ending a treatment plan early.
Dr. Bijal Shah of the Moffitt Cancer Center, leader of the acute lymphoblastic leukemia program, told BuzzFeed News that just because no cells are being found on tests, doesn’t mean it’s cured. Stopping early “increases the risk of new cancer cells forming, spreading, and being resistant once treatment begins again.”
The parents and their supporters are particularly angry about how the “kidnapping” was portrayed by the sheriff’s office and media.
The Florida Freedom Alliance has begun to represent the couple and said that they were accused of going on the run, even though they had been very clear with the hospital that they were leaving to get a second opinion.
Meanwhile, Noah’s treatment continues to be on hold while Hillsborough Circuit Judge Lisa Campbell considers the case.
She will decide whether or not the parents were within their rights to refuse to continue the chemotherapy treatments.
The situation is further complicated by descriptions of how the 10 days they spent at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital were mishandled.
During the hearings, dad Joshua described the hospital as disorganized and unprofessional.
He testified , “It seemed like doctors were disappearing on us and just passing down Noah’s information second hand.”
They say that they have voice mails and records of all the calls they’d made to the hospital about their concerns and how they wanted to pursue a second opinion.
Meanwhile, Noah may currently be in remission according to his blood tests, but who knows how long that could last.
ALL is a rapid form of cancer and any delay in treatments — of any sort — could be fatal. Hopefully, the judge reaches a conclusion ASAP.
All in all, this is a thorny story. Was the hospital in the wrong for not allowing a second opinion or are the parents endangering Noah by not following the doctors’ orders? And should the sheriff’s department portrayed them as being on the run and “armed and dangerous”?
