US parents 'disappointed' after ruling they must complete chemotherapy for 3-year-old

Mother says case ‘opened up 'good discussion on parental rights, about patient rights’

A cancer patient receives chemotherapy (Getty)

A judge has told two Florida parents they must continue their three year old child’s chemotherapy - rather than seek exclusively alternative treatments.

Taylor Bland-Ball and Joshua McAdams’ three year old son has acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow.

The family was concerned about the side effects of chemotherapy, which include fatigue, hair loss, nausea, and appetite changes, on the young child, and thus expressed interest in alternative treatments including medical marijuana, alkaline dieting, and vitamin therapy.

The young boy reportedly received one session of chemotherapy at the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. After that session, his parents stopped appearing for their scheduled appointments.

The family was found in Kentucky after an endangered child search was put out in search of their young son. Ms Bland-Ball and Mr McAdams said they had only left Florida to find a second opinion in Ohio.

As a result of leaving the state and ceasing treatment, the couple’s son was removed from their custody and is currently living with his grandparents. Ms Bland-Ball and Mr McAdams are allowed supervised visitation during chemotherapy treatments, and are working on obtaining unsupervised visitation rights.

Judge Caroline Tesche Arkin said the family was welcome to use these alternative treatments, including medical marijuana which is legal in the state, in supplement to chemotherapy for their son, but the family must complete at least a 28 day course of chemotherapy as the primary treatment option.

After this first stage of treatment, the family is free to switch hospitals and receive a second opinion. The BBC reported that doctors at the hearing stressed that the toddler needed immediate chemotherapy to survive.

Ms Bland-Ball said that her husband and herself were "disappointed", but their case "really opened up a good discussion on parental rights, about patient rights".