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I am a mother of four daughters- my eldest daughter was diagnosed in March, 2006-- she was 16 years old. She was diagnosed with a 1 in 1million cancer- Juvenile Ovarian Cancer. How unfair could life be for her??????? She had surgery and had a Metaport and was going thru the common 3 chemo meds to start. Prior to starting her chemo- my husband and I discussed with her that if at anytime she felt she had enough- we would respect her wishes. She was a minor child, but she was also human!!!! She was diagnosed in remission in late August- and that lasted one week! So her oncologist had tried an "intense and very dangerous chemo treatment to try to slow it down". My daughter was dying and knew it. When despite the treatment, she was vomiting up her own bowel. She was on a constant pain pump of Dilatid. Constant misery!!!! Blood transfusions, chemo treatments, ER visits between it all on top of clinic appointments. She came to us and said "I've had enough-- I don't want to do this anymore-- I'm tired." The next day we went back to Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh because she needed another blood transfusion. I talked to her doctor (the head of oncology at Children's Hospital) and her pain care manager. I explained to them that despite my never wanting her to give up- that she was tired and I promised her to respect her wishes. We stopped her treatments. This was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. Her cancer was extremely progressive and I knew that stopping them would end her life sooner. Let me tell everyone in this world-- my daughter's life at that time was not "living." She was in a wheelchair and despite the best pain meds and anti-vomiting medications-- she was in a life of absolute hell. Beyond any misery that any aged human could ever even think of. My daughter's story began and ended the day we were told she had cancer. The love I have for my children is unexplicable. As a parent, my job is to love and care for my children. I never wanted to believe my daughter was going to die- and I never wanted my daughter to stop her treatment and give up. Thru all of this- I never thought that I could pray for the good Lord to take her- to free her from her misery. When my daughter passed on to Heaven on December 2, 2006, I thanked God for taking her. A parent's love for a child is the strongest love! Until you are in the situation- don't judge!!! When your child is diagnosed with cancer- as a loving parent, you should consider your child's feelings first. Children come first, above and beyond anything. No judge in this world should have the right to decide on what's best for a child. If the child is old enough to know what's going on, they should have a say so in the decisions of their care.

— theskooks1

you give a very articulate, heartfelt answer. i'm glad you found a successful alternative to chemo. i wish the facts and real alternatives could be better disseminated to the public, but the natural therapy companies do not have the same kind of money to brainwash the public (and doctors) that the pharmaceutical companies do. my ex-husband is a Dr. and the oncologist in the medical practice made more than 3x what the other docs did. in addition, the pharmaceutical reps were paying for meals and tickets to events and giving away all sorts of things to get the docs to prescribe their drugs. this is a hugely profitable industry and the aggressive tactics result in more deaths that they save. clinical trials are paid for by the pharmaceutical companies and it takes huge lawsuits to get harmful drugs that weren't adequately tested off the market. this particular case is not one of child abuse on the part of the parents. they believe very strongly that chemo will cause more harm than good to their child, and there is evidence out there to support it. It is not the place of a Judge with a law degree to make medical decisions for this family. I hope they are able to find a successful treatment for their son.

— peacefulwarrior

All those ignorant people talking about doctors and chemo don't get the real issue at hand which is...Freedom to decide your fate, freedom to chose. I don't agree with people dying for refusing transfusion for religious reasons....But it's their choice. This issue is mainstream because involves a child. I I'm sure if the patient at hand was 70 or 80 or 90 years old it would not be newsworthy.

— OJPA

Dear Iluvdoingright,
I can see where you are coming from. I understand that you had cancer and that you overcame it your own way but no one is the same. People are all made differently, by God, for reasons unknown to any man. Some people's bodies are too weak to fight off the cancer on their own, if they didn't have chemotherapy, so many innocent people would be dead. Doctors do charge a lot for medical care but isn't it worth it so see the person you love's face again in the next year? And it's not like you can't pay it back over time like you would any car payment or house payment; think of it as a life payment. This child, blessed as he is to be in this world, deserves better. If his parents can't afford to pay for chemo then they can get a loan or raise the money. But believing that God gave us brains and the ability to use them to learn and grow in the world but not to use them to save peoples lives, is just ignorant. My dear friend Omar, bless him, went through a year of chemo. It took him one year to cure him of his cancer. He was out of school for 6 months. I thought he wasnt going to graduate on time. But despite all odds of cancer or missing school, Omar has exceeded anyone's expectations, even the doctors. He is playing football again. I'm so glad he was able to make it, like many others who go through chemo. Afterwords he said it was painful, and that sometimes he wished he could just stop and give up but that in the end it all payed off and he was glad to still be here. Does that mean nothing to you? He is still in debt from his hospital bill but he is out there getting a job to pay for it and not complaining about it. He's PRO-ACTIVE, not RE-ACTIVE. He is going to college next year and I pray he succeeds in everything he does as he didn't let cancer get the best of him in the worst of times. Amen. That's what God wants. That's what God made us for. To think, to grow, and to LIVE. I hope this young man, along with many other cancer care patients, makes it through as well as Omar.

— Christian-1115680

Hallelujah! I wish we had gone natural for my mother's treatment. She lasted one year after being pumped with chemo and radiation. May I ask who the doc is that helped you? I'm quite certain myself or a loved one will be diagnosed before I can blink an eye! THX!

— Tricia-1115658

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