Abraham's lawyers filed a motion today at 10:30 a-m in Accomack County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court to try to stop enforcement of a judge's order requiring Abraham Cherrix, 16-year-old Eastern Shore cancer patient to report to a hospital by Tuesday, July 25th and have his parents authorize treatment (i.e., chemo).
The family will be supporting Abraham in his decision to not accept chemo and understands that this could be a long and hard struggle.
If Abraham is forced to comply with the order, "there's no way to undo the chemotherapy and radiation" and essentially that would end their path to further appeals.
As of 5:15pm (EST), they have not heard from the courts. The lawyers will be on Court TV tonight and Abraham and his father Jay will be on Hannity & Colmes tonight.
Monday, July 24, 2006
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A 16-year old who has already been through chemo and radiation and knows a lot about his condition and the effects of treatment (most likely more than the judge does) should be allowed to have significant input into decisions involving his care. Ideally the parents should keep the oncologist in the loop as they explore other options besides standard chemo, but I can see why the doctor is bowing out.
ReplyDeleteMy son had leukemia for over 4 years. During that time we had discussions about "what might happen if it came back." It came back twice. We all understood that his chances were diminishing. By the time of his last relapse, Danny's statistical odds were 20%, but most decent oncologists will tell you not to get too wrapped up in statistics. It is either 100% or nothing for your child. He/she will make it or not.
Hopefully, Abraham will conquer the Hodgkin's. Statistically he should, but my son should have survived as well. Currently the stats for surviving ALL leukemia are as high as 80-85%, yet Danny landed in the 15-20% group.
I do know that when a kid has cancer, they lose so much that they need to be given as much control over their life as possible. That's true of anyone fighting a disease. In my experience, kids with cancer grow up faster than their peers. They have to. They face life and death issues; they protect their loved ones with unselfishness and wisdom. They deserve to be listened to.
Good luck to you Abraham. I don't know anything about the treatment you are seeking in Mexico or whether that is your best option. But you sound incredibly brave and strong, and I'm glad to have met you. Chemotherapy is the "gold standard" in cancer treatment in America. But if you've been through it, or love someone who has been through it, you can see that it's not perfect. And that it's okay to challenge the status quo.
That's what's so cool about America. Right?
We must be able to choose the form of treatment we as individuals want; whether the AMA or any other quazi political/medical/economical organization is supportive of that or not. This is what basic freedom is all about...although the majority seem to be more than willing or too tired from working to pay for gasoline!; to make much noise about the fact that everyday, basic freedoms are being eroded or stolen away. These represent what the formation of this society and country were all about. How can we allow this to happen? Bravo! Abraham and your family for guarding these precious and fundamental rights. It is and should be your right to choose your own health care. Make as much noise about this as you possibly can.
ReplyDeleteSincerely;
JCH