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Boy With Cancer Angry About Treatment

By AMY FORLITI
,
AP
posted: 1 HOUR 34 MINUTES AGO
comments: 34
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SLEEPY EYE, Minn. (June 24) -- A 13-year-old boy with cancer who fled Minnesota to avoid chemotherapy said Tuesday he is angry a judge has ordered him to continue the treatment because doctors say it has significantly shrunk the size of his tumor.
Daniel Hauser was not in court when the judge issued his order, but later told The Associated Press he had hoped he would be able to stop chemotherapy, which he said makes him ill.
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"I get really sick when I do it," the teen said during an interview at his family's farm in Sleepy Eye. "You get so dizzy and I get a headache right away."
Daniel said he believes the improvement in his condition is being caused by his alternative treatments, which include vitamin supplements, ionized water and organic foods and other dietary restrictions.
His parents also remain concerned about the risks of chemotherapy, which they initially rejected for religious reasons, saying it harms the body. But they told Brown County Judge John Rodenberg during the Tuesday hearing that they would take their son to a Wednesday chemo appointment.
Colleen Hauser told the AP at her home that doctors said it would take six months to treat her son's Hodgkin's lymphoma when he was first diagnosed, but they've seen improvement in the past few weeks.
"Wow," she said. "Something's working."
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But when asked if she credits the chemotherapy, she said, "I'm not going to say it's not, but I just want to make it clear that I would like a better plan, a better treatment plan, for Danny."
The judge earlier assured Colleen and Anthony Hauser they can continue looking for other ways to treat their son.
"If at the end of the day Daniel lives through this, I am not going to care ... what cures him," the judge said. "I want Daniel to be well, and I know you do too."
Rodenberg also ruled Daniel is still in need of child protection services, agreeing with Brown County prosecutor James Olson that the case should remain before the court. Olson pointed out the family has resisted chemotherapy in the past, specifically Colleen's decision to flee with Daniel to California last month rather than show up at a court hearing to discuss the matter. They were the subject of a search that extended into Mexico.
"History has shown they're not going to comply unless they have some sort of hammer hanging over their head," he said.
The Hausers' attorney, Barbara Gislason, said the family's promise to take Daniel to his chemo appointment does not mean they believe in the treatment.
"When you're a parent dealing with a life and death situation for your kid, you want everything done perfectly, because if everything isn't done perfectly, your kid can die. And one of the ways your kid can die is toxicity from chemotherapy," Gislason said.
Besides a smaller tumor, doctors said in court documents presented Tuesday that some of Daniel's symptoms have improved following the chemotherapy. He was breathing better and sleeping well, and his cough has improved, they said. But the doctors said the boy has a poor appetite and has been fatigued and nauseated.
"As (h)is tumor is responding and not resistant to chemotherapy, I still believe he has an excellent chance of cure," Dr. Bruce Bostrom, an oncologist at Children's Hospitals and Clinics, said in the court documents.
Daniel's court-appointed attorney, Phil Elbert, said the teen has seen the most recent X-rays of his tumor, which show that the tumor is a white, see-through mass. Previous X-rays had shown a dense, black mass.
In an affidavit, Colleen Hauser said she seeks the court's forgiveness for fleeing with her son and thanks the judge for allowing Daniel to stay with the family after the two returned from California.
"It is so important to Danny that he be surrounded by his family," the affidavit read.
Daniel spoke in short sentences Tuesday but said he wasn't too tired. He said thinks he can beat cancer and that when he does, he might celebrate with some target practice.
"He's got one thing on his mind, and that's tomorrow," his mother said.
Associated Press Writer Nomaan Merchant contributed to this report.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2009-06-24 10:11:14
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LeGreatOne

05:17 PMJun 24 2009

To those who say there is no cure for cancer, WAKE UP! There are many forms of cancer, and lots of those are more than just manageable, they are in fact CURABLE. The boy's parents, like the boy, and like some readers, are ignorant of the advances made in treating and CURING many cancers. The boys comments, just as his parent's actions, were based on a lack of education. Man! You'd think that with all of the information available today, SOME people would bother to READ it! That boy owes his life to the judge who forced him into treatment, and some day he'll be grateful.

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Om7buss

05:13 PMJun 24 2009

LAETRILE also known as b17 is very good against cancer. doctors in this country are just technicians plus pharma money and goverment= disaster.....free...www.henrybook.com

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greendewsspn

05:12 PMJun 24 2009

What is it about the "magical" number 18 that when you turn that number of years suddenly you're an adult who can make choices for yourself but before that magic birthday you are a helpless little child who cannot think for yourself and need to be forced to do what grownups decide for you?

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alistair217

05:10 PMJun 24 2009

oh sure its obama's fault you racist's just hate the fact you have a black president

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Towprofever

05:08 PMJun 24 2009

i have a lot of thoughts and oppinons about this but one stands out the most: Does it really matter what is makin him better, atleast he is showing improvements!! I would have hated to be the judge in fear of violating the parents rights to their religious beliefs. Although This child is too young to make that decision or is he? How old does he have to be to exercise his religious beliefs? I do not recall an age limit on the costitution! I will say thank God the judge ordered it! I hope the kid gets cured so he can live healthy. Maybe the family should think of the countrys that can't offer treatment. Or what about our country where people die from a cold because they don't have money for a doctor visit. They also should take a trip to any cancer hospital and see what other children are goin through"much much worse" God bless them!

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greendewsspn

05:07 PMJun 24 2009

Is it true that most people who take alternative treatments only do so because they've gone through a lot of conventional chemo, radiation, and/or surgery and it has nearly killed them but conventional doctors offer nothing else and their insurance won't pay for any alternative therapy, and only after being put through all of that do they finally turn to the alternative as a last resort, and often then it is too late to save them from the damage done by chemo etc., but conventional medicine then points to those cases as "proof" that alternative therapies don't work, yet they never say that in the countless cases when chemo/radiation/surgery do not save lives?

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DeFeliceP

05:07 PMJun 24 2009

I don't think anyone gets what really going on here. We as people have the freedom of choice so regardless of your opinions, it should be the parents decision. The goverment doesn't have the legal right under the constitution to do this. If we allow this, what's next? They going to tell us when we can leave our house? It's no ones business but theirs. If the kid dies, it's sad but it's their choice. Chemo is toxic and it's not unreasonable to think that people might be scared of it. I certainly am. Chemo & radiation KILLED my aunt before the cancer. How can we say the oncologist was right? I see cancer doctors die of cancer all the time.

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Hemplove

04:59 PMJun 24 2009

Danny, you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.

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Govindabliss

04:54 PMJun 24 2009

THERE IS NO CURE FOR CANCER AND TO FORCE SOMEONE TO TAKE THESE TREATMENTS OF POISON IS INHUMANE..SOME PEOPLE ARE MORE EVOLVED THAN OTHERS..IN THIS CASE THE FAMILY OBVIOUSLY ISNT ATTACHED TO GETTING TORTURED AS SO CALLED TREATMENT FOR CANCER..SOME SMART PEOPLE WOULD RATHER LIVE TILL THE END WITH NO TREATMENT RATHER THAN BE A TEST RAT FOR THIS MONEY MAKING CREATED DISEASE CALLED CANCER..I THINK THIS JUDGE IS AN IDIOT AND THIS BOY SHOULD BE LEFT ALONE..I AM PRAYING THAT HE WILL BE!..

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Mcclungs3

04:52 PMJun 24 2009

White trash...

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