Sometimes I Write

I read this article online this morning. It is scary to me that the government can step in and with drastic measures try to take away your rights as a parent. I am glad things worked out the way they did for this family and I’ll pray for them as they face the long road ahead. Go Abe!!!

Court TV August 16, 2006
By Harriet Ryan

ACCOMAC, Va. — Social services authorities dropped neglect charges against the parents of a 16-year-old cancer patient who refused chemotherapy after the boy and his family agreed to treatment by an oncologist supportive of their embrace of alternative medicine. The settlement avoided a trial, set to begin Wednesday, in which the Accomack County Department of Social Services sought to force the teenager, Starchild Abraham Cherrix, into a hospital to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatment for Hodgkin’s disease.

Under an agreement reached late Tuesday and announced in Circuit Court Wednesday morning by the judge who was to hear the case, Abraham, as he is known, and his parents consented to treatment by Dr. Arnold Smith, the medical director of the North Central Mississippi Regional Cancer Center in Greenwood. Smith is known for incorporating alternative approaches into conventional cancer treatment, according to the facility’s Web site. Judge Glen Tyler took pains to emphasize Smith’s mainstream qualifications, including board- certification in oncology, training at the Mayo Clinic and a medical degree from the University of Tennessee.

The settlement was hailed by all sides as the best possible outcome for a case that has attracted nationwide attention, much of it sympathetic to the Cherrix family.

“We each did our own independent verification [of Smith], and this is in Abraham’s best interest. The outcome [of a trial] was far from certain and the spotlight itself can have a negative influence on his health,” said William McKee, a lawyer for the state social services, after court. Standing with his parents, Jay and Rose, in front of the courthouse, Abraham Cherrix called the agreement a victory for his family and for alternative medicine. After his first course of chemotherapy was ineffective, he rejected his oncologist’s recommendation for a second, more intense round in favor of a sugar-free diet and regimen of herbal supplements prescribed by a controversial Mexican clinic. His oncologist reported his parents to social services for medical neglect.

“I’m very happy about today. I’m very happy about this outcome. We won. We got our freedom back,” the lanky teenager told reporters. He and his father met with Smith in Mississippi Friday and discussed several treatment plans. The court agreement does not mandate a particular course of treatment, although Smith is required to send Abraham’s medical charts to the judge and social services every three months. Asked if he would continue with the herbal treatment, which is known as the Hoxsey Method and is banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Abraham replied, “Absolutely.” He said he was open to radiation treatment if the alternative method “doesn’t work down the road,” but would continue to refuse chemotherapy.

“No, no chemo. It’s not in the treatment plan whatsoever,” he said. The effects of chemotherapy were so debilitating that he could not walk and worried he would not survive additional treatments, he has said. His father said Smith had assured him that he would not pursue treatments to which the family objected. “His credo is that the patient runs the place, not the doctor,” Jay Cherrix said. Smith did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Abraham’s lawyer, Barry Taylor, who along with co-counsel John Stepanovich handled the case pro bono, said the agreement should reassure parents in Virginia that their right to decide what is best for their children remains protected. “We won the battle to choose a doctor and choose a treatment,” he said. The Cherrixes said the end of the court case means a return to full-time focus on their son’s health. “Now they can take their battle to the hospitals and treatment rooms where it needs to be fought,” Stepanovich said.

Tumors in Abraham’s neck and chest are continuing to grow, and Rose Cherrix broke into tears as she described her son’s bravery in the face of his illness. “He inspires me as well as I think he inspires a lot of people in this country,” she said. The outpouring of concern for Abraham extended to the bench Wednesday. As Judge Tyler prepared to exit the court, he turned toward the teenager and said, “God bless you, Mr. Cherrix.”