There are a lot of topics that I just don’t touch on here.
But HEY, if I’m going to do it….let’s do them ALL!
I voted Obama
I’m a Christian, I believe in God and we have a good relationship
Coke will always be better than Pepsi
The chicken came first
I was a breast-feeding, co-sleeping mom, I still am….co-sleeping, not breastfeeding, that’s just creepy at five
Lee Harvey Oswald couldn’t have acted alone
Sex is a wonderful thing, I’m highly in favor of it for all consenting adults that are not named Nathaniel, Rachael or Peyton Mayhew. E.V.E.R.
I think they should legalize, regulate and tax pot
Han Solo totally shot first
Ok.
So.
Now that we got all that out of the way, let me REALLY ruffle some feathers.
I was sort of planning to just stew silently about this one and then someone poked me about it to see if I had an opinion….and you KNOW I did.
You may or may not be familiar with the situation with Daniel Hauser and his parents Colleen and Anthony Hauser.
Daniel is a 13 yo boy from Minnesota who was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in January. After one round of chemo, his parents decided the treatments were too poisonous and declined to receive anymore chemotherapy. They, instead, exercised their right to practice religious freedom and follow the teachings of a group called the Nemenhah Band and seek alternative treatments.
The case was brought into the courts, a judge ordered that an X-ray be done on Daniel to see if there was tumor growth and when the parents found out that the tumor in Daniel’s chest, which had shrunk from the initial round of chemo, had grown back to the pre-chemo size, the mother took the boy and ran.
The oncologist testified that Hodgkins Lymphoma can be treated with a 80-95% success rate (not CURE rate, mind you), and the judge ordered that Daniel be taken into custody of the court.
Now the hunt is on for Daniel and his mother…if they are caught Daniel will be treated by an oncologist with a chemotherapy regimen he doesn’t want, but his own lawyer says he does not read, has a learning disability, and neither the disease or treatment has been explained to him well enough for him to make a decision.
Ok, then.
I guess the first thing I want to say is to the mother: WHAT THE HELL is wrong with you, woman?
The Native American “religion” they are claiming to be a part of isn’t even affiliated with any Native American tribe and is, in fact, pretty much a money making scheme….where, for a mere $250 initial payment and $100 annual, PLUS monthly “donations” you can be spiritually adopted and given a certificate that pronounces you a natural healer.
A certificate.
Like I can make on Photoshop and print in my office.
Seriously? I can hit Google for FREE and have 1000% more medical knowledge than these people have.
Colleen Hauser testified that she had been treating his cancer with herbal supplements, vitamins, ionized water and other natural alternatives…which were OBVIOUSLY not working since his X-ray showed significant growth of his tumor.
Water. Treating cancer with water. Oh, how I wish they would prove that worked. *sigh*
The second thing I want to say to this woman is: WHAT THE HELL is wrong with you, woman?
For REAL. I GET it that chemotherapy is absolute crap. Trust me, you did one round, we did it for over two and half years straight with a fun stint in radiation land as a bonus. Yeah, it sucks. BAD. I hated every day of it.
You know what? I was also on my knees thanking GOD for providing us a treatment because, twenty years ago? 80% of the kids who had Peyton’s kind of cancer DIED…it was pretty much a death sentence.
No, it’s not a perfect world, the treatment isn’t perfect by any means. The treatments don’t know what they’re killing, good cells or bad, and it does leave the kids weakened to the point where they are so very vulnerable that every tiny germ is a threat.
It SUCKS! I said that already.
You know what?
It’s the best thing we have and the best chance they have to live.
So, in my book, if you chose not to treat your child with the best possible option (and if alternative medicines were able to prove they WERE the best possible option, go with it! but they haven’t yet, TRUST me, we checked out a bunch of options) you are gambling with your child’s life…and all the cards are stacked against them. Do you not want to at least give him a fighting chance?
The last thing I really have to say about this woman is that she offends me. I know there are going to be a lot of people who disagree with me, and I’m ok with that. There will be those that believe that parents have the right to decide what kind of medical treatment their child recieves and no court has the right to tell you otherwise.
Here’s the thing with that arguement.
If someone came into YOUR home and shot at YOUR child, you’d sure as hell want the courts to protect your child then. Why? Well, because no one has the right to threaten your child’s life. How dare someone come in and try to kill your child?
How is denying your child the only treatment known to successfully put his cancer into long term remission anything less than threatening his life?
How is the court NOT responsible for defending him against that threat as well?
No more than I would say that it is your right as a parent to drown your child would I say its your right to deny them life-saving treatment.
If they were physically abusing him, no one would argue that the courts should remove him from the home….yet people feel it’s wrong for the courts to say that they can’t let him die without trying a known treatment.
I know too many parents who’d be eternally grateful for one more shot at a treatment with even a 1% chance at success for a child gone forever. I know parents who would have grabbed greedily at an 80% success rate…it’s an improvement over “there’s nothing we can do”. I have seen how far parents will go to fight for their child’s life and still not win. I have seen the ones that have taken their child to the very brink and lived to tell the tale.
Yes. This woman’s disregard for her child’s life offends me. When we have battled so hard for ours.
I don’t get it.
And, yes, there is a point when you say “no more”. We’ve had that conversation. At what point do you say “enough”?
I know my line in the sand.
I know the limits I would go to.
It sure as heck wouldn’t be while my child still had a good, fighting chance at life.
OH, BTW?
This is Dana…one of our most beloved friends….21 years old…5 year survivor of Hodgkins Lymphoma…BIG tumor…six rounds of chemotherapy….radiation.
Quality of life? I don’t think she’d argue that she HAS it.
I know for sure she’s improved ours.
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So, I’ve ranted, I’ve opinionated, I’ve wiped off my little soapbox and put it away.
What do YOU think the courts should do for Daniel? Do you think his mother should go to jail for contempt of court for not showing up to the hearing? What would you do if the courts ordered you to give your child a treatment you disagreed with?
Please, discuss!
