Sally Roberts and Neon Roberts
A UK judge has ordered that a seven-year-old boy with brain cancer should have life-saving surgery, despite protests from his mother who wants to pursue ‘alternative therapies’ for her son.
On Monday, after hearing evidence from doctors that Neon Roberts will die within three months without surgery, the judge ruled that doctors should be allowed to operate – even without his mother Sally’s consent.
The story of Sally Roberts and her son Neon has been dominating UK press reports since the 37-year-old mother disappeared with her son two weeks ago. Roberts is determined to try the medically unproven ‘oxygen therapy’ for her son, rather than let him undergo radiotherapy in a hospital.
After Roberts and her son were located once again, court proceedings have now been able to commence.
Neon has a medulloblastoma tumor – a type of brain tumor that mainly effects children and is typically treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The survival rate for this brain tumour is good – around 80 per cent in fact – but that survival rate only applies to people who HAVE the surgery that can save them.
Roberts told the court that she has a ‘human right’ to do what is best for her son. “Should this be my decision as his mother? Of course it should be. It is a human rights issue,” she said, according The Daily Mail.
“‘I’m not keeping this case going, spending taxpayers’ money, for nothing. I believe in this. Death by doctor – people need to understand how big a problem it is. I couldn’t forgive myself if I did nothing.”
Neon has now developed a second tumor, which was identified while the court proceedings were ongoing. His mother Sally, initially agreed to more surgery for her son following the discovery of the residual tumor but changed her mind late on Tuesday this week, saying she simply didn’t trust British doctors.
Having sacked her legal team during the legal proceedings, Robets claims that doctors are ‘over emphasising’ how sick her son is. She wants to delay the surgery for another week, so that she can consult experts overseas.
More from The Daily Mail:
‘He’s running about, wanting to play. But the surgery will take it out of him. The operation will affect his movement, balance, his speech. It can sometimes cause the cancer to spread’…
Mrs Roberts, who wants Neon to be treated with alternative medicine such as oxygen therapy, insisted ‘death by doctor’ was a ‘bigger problem than terrorism’.
“I have weighed up the risk factors attached to surgery. It is obvious and known to everyone that all operations carry risk and this is no exception. But taking this on balance against the expected gain to [Neon], in the unhappy position he now finds himself in, I am quite satisfied that surgery is in his best interests and I am making a declaration so it can go ahead. Further delay would only postpone difficult decisions.”
Comments
138 Comments so far
I don’t think there has ever been a cancer cured by an alternative treatment I can find any proven facts with the statistics to back it up. Sounds like snake oil salesmen to me. But then many people will listen to people who have no medical background and happily not vaccinate their kids.
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She’s doing what she thinks of as the best for her child, there can’t be any doubt of that, but she’s absolutely tragically misguided about cancer treatment.
I also suspect she doesn’t really know how to perform research, and has taken on trust some dubious website claims that look good or appeal to her via confirmation bias. It’s a terrible thing when people think that doing some google searches will give you as much medical expertise as a doctor. Yes, sometimes doctors get things wrong, but that doesn’t mean google knows better, so to speak.
I feel sorry for the whole family.
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I see an obvious “Doctor/science knows best” opinion on this site, that is quite annoying.
There’s one thing this mother has, that people treating her son don’t have. That is INSTINCT. The instinct that not only a mother has for her child’s situation, but one that most people have for their sick family member.
I just lost my father and after that experience – of spending days in hospital as highly qualified doctors (with no bedside manner), interns and mildly caring nurses bungled their way through his “treatment”,
My instincts told me all along that I needed to get him the hell out of there as he was going to die in this horrible, noisy environment, surrounded by strangers. If I wasn’t there, little attention would have been paid to his QUALITY of life and emotional health as everyone skated around the obvious: this was terminal.
From what I have seen of this mother, she is not some ‘hippie’ who believes her son will be cured by eating sprouts and holding magnets (or whatever).
Sometimes the family actually does care about long term prospects and quality of life – over length of life. One thing is for sure – it will be the mother who will be left picking up the pieces if her son is left disabled from this forced treatment.
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There isn’t the suggestion that this child has a terminal cancer, in fact the odds are reported as good. I also don’t think it’s that people are saying that doctors know best but that she has gone down an extreme alternative therapy in ‘oxygen therapy’, that may not be eating sprouts or holding magnets but is certainly in there.
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Until you have had a sick child you really shouldn’t comment. To sit with Doctors who will tell you their opinion and then tell you it is YOUR decision is truly very hard. To be given choices that can mean significant differences in your child’s future makes you really stop and wonder. And if they are treating a very rare condition (as in the case of my daughter) they are usually playing it by ear (and happy to admit it). So sometimes the only other thing you can do is to do your own research. I wish I had done more of it and been more forceful in what I wanted even though I was told it was not necessary. 18 months later different doctors have now said the treatment I requested and did not recieve could have saved my daughter’s sight but it is too late to do it now. My point is doctors are amazing but the decisions are always put back onto the parents and it isnt easy making the tough life/death decisions especially when you get told that they can die in theatre simply from going under. It is easy to say what you would do until you are in that position in real life.
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It is quite possible that ‘some of us’ have been in that position, just because we haven’t said so in our post. I was diagnosed with a form of cancer when I was pregnant and because I didn’t mention this in my post my opinion was questioned as another poster questioned whether I was a mother. Never once did I go down the oxygen therapy type route and my opinion on this would’ve been the same before I went through this.
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As someone who has had extensive brutal chemotherapy, with horrific permanent side effects, and multiple medical errors made in my diagnosis and treatment, I do think it is important to not always “do as your told” by doctors. My cancer is not cured, or in remission BTW. There is a time for trusting doctors, and a time for trusting yourself.
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Did anyone think that horridly misguided woman was Jennifer Anniston??
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This has made me SO angry!!
She is NOT fit to be a mother.
I hope the courts take Neon of her. And I’ll bet she is one of those mothers that don’t believe in immunising their children. Hippy.
All the best to you Neon.
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Things are not that simple when you have a sick child and when you can’t fully understand things and don’t have faith in your Dr it is difficult. I am sure she is a loving mum who has made a misguided decision. And I have to say don’t trust all Dr’s- they are not god and do make mistakes. Nothing wrong with a second opinion.
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She might well be a loving mum, but she is making shit choices for her ill son.
And I’m sorry, but I would trust a doctor who has had years, and years of medical training before I trusted google.
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This has made me SO angry! She is NOT fit to be a mother. I hope the courts take Neon of her. She’s probably one of those mothers who doesn’t believe in immunising her children as well.
Hippy.
Best of luck to you Neon.
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This case is so tragic. I’m sure she wants the best for her son. I am a doctor, but made the decision very early in my pregnancy that I would not be one to my children. When my son was diagnosed with an abnormality soon after, I realised how my “doctor” brain and “mummy” brain are at odds with each other. Although I knew surgery was the best option for him, handing him over to an anaesthetist was the hardest moment of my life.
After this experience I can understand how people who haven’t trained in medicine and science could flat out refuse, out of love. They need to be helped to make good decisions, I’m just saddened that she didn’t find someone she could trust before it ended with the courts.
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Boy that is so interesting. My friend is a neurosurgeon, says his wife never listens to him for advice on his kid’s ailments. He tells her okay, go to the doctor, who then tells her exactly the same thing as him and she does it confidently. Maybe you can be too close to the problem to see clearly.
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Great article. I always think that if we haven’t done the study, we’re not exactly in a position to ‘research’ and truly understand complex health issues… a little bit of ‘knowledge’ is a dangerous thing, especially when such strong emotions are involved… no-one wants to see their beautiful child go through such an horrific ordeal.
PS proofreading tip… it should be affects (verb), not effects (noun)… remember ‘a’ for action, and you’ll never get it wrong again!
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proofreading: effects (noun) is different from affects (verb)… remember ‘a’ for action, and you’ll never get it wrong again!
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Don’t count on it.
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Whilst I believe that in this case surgery is the best option, can I put it out there that it is a slippery slope when courts can take over our parental control? Whats next? I don’t know just food for thought.
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The courts and authorities have had the ability to do this for years. It is not new.
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Looks to me like the mother is in some kind of shock/denial. Our friends did everything the doctors said when their girl was sick with leukaemia, they even begged for extra chemotherapy after her second relapse, which is generally when you give up treatment. Unfortunately the chemotherapy resulted in complications that added to her suffering and they could not save her. At least they know they tried every avenue science had to offer. It is so sad that little children get this ill
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I can understand a parent not wanting to give their young child radiation or chemo therapies.
But I can’t understand not risking the operation to remove the tumour.
I’m not in their personal situation – I’m relying on various media who like to sell stories (especially ones like this), so I’ll just wish them all, the very best of luck on what must be a heart-wrenching journey.
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Is this woman serious? My brother died of this tumour two years ago. He was an adult – it generally only occurs in children and it was the cruelest most painful death!
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Your poor brother. I’m sorry
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This IS most definitely an issue of human rights. Neon’s human rights. No one else’s.
I think the court made the right decision. The boy has 3 months so they’re saying. That’s not enough time to explore anything except what the people who have trained for years in this area of medicine are telling you to do.
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It is true that surgery, chemo and radiotherapy are the ‘gold standard’ methods of treating this kind of cancer in children. It is also true that when radiotherapy is used on children, there is a high risk that the child’s brain and development will be affected. That their memory, personality and fertility will be affected. Radiotherapy is the best weapon doctors have in their arsenal – but it carries significant risks. One of the UK’s most respected paediatric oncologists has been interviewed here saying that parents often struggle to know how to weigh up the pros with the long list of side effects, disclaimers, risks etc.
It may be that you don’t agree with alternative therapies (although here in the UK – and probably in Australia – an integrated approach comprising of medical intervention and some natural therapies is widely supported by the medical establishment). It may also be that there is no ‘perfect’ solution. Neon has a brain tumour and therefore it is unlikely that the future his parents hoped and imagined for him will ever be possible.
However, this woman is no idiot. She is fighting for her son. As she says, she couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t do everything in her power to get the best outcome for him. Surely you can relate to that?
She hasn’t just ‘fired’ her legal team as reported above. She has hired international human rights lawyer Imran Khan. She doesn’t believe oxygen therapy will cure her son. She’s just looking critically at all the options – none of which are perfect or hold any kind of guarantee.
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Liz, you say that an integrated approach of natural therapies (whatever that means) are widely supported by the medical establishment- can you provide any evidence for that?
Oxygen therapy is not perfect- in fact it has no shown benefit in treating childhood brain tumours so why would a smart woman consider delaying her child’s treatment to consider it. I find your statement that she is not an idiot contradicted by her own poor judgement.
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I haven’t researched alternate therapies for cancer and I wonder how feeding a tumour oxygen, kills it off. What do I know though?
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My son is studying medicine. He is always amazed when chatting to people how they feel they can diagnose themselves/ become experts by googling a few sites. Perhaps the six years to become a GP AND THEN be able to diagnose or the 12 years to become a specialist are a waste of time!!! I have yet to see a dr who doesn’t want the very best outcome for their patient
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With no disrespect, we all know there are excellent doctors and others not so good, for whatever reason, like in any profession. Medical training alone does not guarantee an ethical livelihood. The challenge is to find a doctor we trust.
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It is so tragic when a person who no doubt loves their child falls victim to the many charlatans on the Internet and ends up endangering the very person they want to protect. Really science and analytical skills should be compulsory subjects at school.
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So, why can’t he do the surgery, chemo and radiation and then have the oxygen therapy. The oxygen therapy might make him feel better after the treatments?
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disgusting behaviour on the part of the mother… hate to see their relationship when he’s old enough to understand that effectively she was happy for him to die.
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The kid will die, she’ll look like a total idiot and the world will move on.
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I love the line ‘I’ve researched this’ umm no you haven’t, you’ve read a bunch of stuff that has been put on the Internet and is easy to read. Highly unlikely she’s actually read any real research.
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Are you kidding me Rebecca? Are you a mother? She is probably now an expert on her child’s particular cancer. Show some respect!
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Not as expert as the actual experts though.
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Yes I’m sure she has put in years of study and research into her child’s particular cancer, knowing which sources of information are reliable versus which sources of information are not. I’m sure she understands the science and pathology of the particular tumour that her child suffers from. ARE YOU F*ING KIDDING???? When your child is diagnosed with cancer, you have so very limited time, resources and understanding as to what is even happening, there is no ‘I’ve researched this’ that is ever going to compare to the oncologists/neurologists/other specialist drs years and years of study, training and experience!
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Dan, when you have an illness, you tend to read all you can about it. In particular what you read are real accounts of fellow sufferers, from all around the world, and what they are being told by their doctors, what treatments have or haven’t worked for them and often, the outcomes reached. The variance in the info you read is amazing, from doctors who are all apparently following the same scientific research into that particular illness. When my Dad was sick, he was given chemo. In the USA, they do not treat his type of cancer with chemo but radiation treatment, for various reasons. The ‘real’ info, from real sufferers, is priceless in comparison to what one doctor may know based on his own experience in his own clinic with his own patients. Some doctors have more patients than others, some doctors haven’t seen many cases of a particular type of illness.
I really take offence at all of you who say that people who are ill should just listen to their doctor. When you are that ill, you need to have some power over your situation, and choices and decisions are how you obtain that. It is important for you to have a say in what’s happening to your body and to question your doctor and get other opinions. Anyone who thinks their doctor knows everything is a fool, just like an accountant can miss getting you all your tax entitlements, a mechanic can do a shit job on your car or a doctor can recommend a treatment he used on someone else that has a bad response in you. My own GP said to me one day, there are no absolutes in science. You need to use your own resources, when it is your life on the line.
And by the way, don’t we all use the internet to research for academic purposes? Or does the internet suddenly become unrealiable bunk only when we want info on our illnesses?
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I agree with you wholeheartedly. You should never relinquish control of your health. You need to be proactive, especially when it is your child.
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When my child was diagnosed with cancer at 9 months old, yes I did as much research into her condition and treatment as I could (having absolutely no medical training whatsoever). Had I insisted on delaying treatment until I had researched, checked reliability of sources, looked into treatment protocols used in other countries etc, my daughter would have been dead within weeks. The drs gave my daughter a 40-50% chance of survival with chemo and transplant, with a 0% chance of survival without it. My daughter’s team of oncologists are amazing people with intelligence beyond my comprehension. Not only do her drs treat paediatric cancers, they are involved in international research and studies to ensure that the treatment protocols used in this country are the best available. It is overwhelming being thrown into the world of childhood cancer, and the more I learned about my daughter’s disease and the genetic make up of her particular cancer, the more I realised how little I actually knew. So, you see, I have actually had a lot of experience ‘researching’ the best treatment for my daughter, and if I had to do it over again, I would not hesitate to listen to the drs who have spent decades studying childhood cancer.
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I’m so glad for you Dan that you had a good outcome. It is what all parents would want. What you wouldn’t want is to give doctors complete authority to treat your child and find out later that if you had learned more about it, you could have chosen a different option and got a better outcome. THAT is what the mother in this story is probably trying to avoid. She will have to live with the consequences, not us, so we should support rather than crucify her. I am sure she doesn’t want her son to die.
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I suppose it depends on your definition of ‘research’. Yes, I’m sure she has googled everything she can for medulloblastoma, maybe even strayed into the territory of Google scholar, but it’s very easy for those who are not medically trained to be able to grasp the information presented (I’m not saying this is due to a lack of intelligence by any means, but there are journal articles to support every notion under the sun these days and deciphering which of them are bullshit isn’t an easy task).
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I bet she’s nothing like an expert on her child’s cancer. If she was, there’s no way that she would be advocating oxygen therapy. I think Rebecca is absolutely spot on.
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How could she possibly have a good understanding of the research and still come to the conclusion that oxygen will save her child..
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Anon, no I doubt Rebecca is “kidding” you. Doesn’t matter if she’s a mother or not…but the boys mothers research on the Internet does not compare to specialists with 18 years training plus on the job experience. Time is of the essence here.
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Nat, you’re absolutely right, I was not ‘kidding’ her.
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Yes I am a mother! Not sure why that should make a difference though. My comment relates to the many people who seem to go to the Internet to do their research and most of this information is not research at all. Real ‘research’ is often difficult to read and not as readily available as information on alternative therapies such as oxygen therapy. I am not suggesting that you hand over all control to your doctor but critical thinking in these circumstances is vital. The fact that shes chosen oxygen therapy over other therapies which at least have a bit more credibility to me, demonstrates a lack of critical thinking. Also, so many people seem to think and tout that alternative therapies are harmless which is not true, some have side effects of their own and others delay treatment of conventional medicine which can lead to serious side effects, this happened to a friend of mine who actually died, but at least she was a adult making choices for herself. And you are not an ‘expert’ because you have read a lot on a particular subject. I would not class Jenny Mcarthy as an expert on autism just because she seems to think she is. I have relatives in my family who are researchers and experts in a particular field , this is built up over years and decades.
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So because she’s a mother with an ill child I should automatically respect her and her decisions and not question them, anonymous? Isn’t this questioning what you’re praising her for? Not everything is worthy of respect and as far as I’m concerned oxygen therapy is one of those. I’m also sick of people having a lack of respect for science and scientists and calling themselves ‘experts’ and saying that they’ve researched something when what they’ve done is read a lot. This dumbing down of science is why people give high status to therapies such as oxygen therapy, clay therapy etc
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Such a tough issue for me…
Growing up in the 90s, there was less speculation about conspiracies surrounding big pharmaceutical companies and I was vaccinated and medicated when needed. I had my first child in 2010 and my mother has been doing a lot of reading relating to these “conspiracies”. I chose to get my daughter vaccinated but frankly, without personal scientific knowledge, I feel I am left swinging between opinions. Stories of natural medicines being ignored by pharma companies for lack of profitability (and incentives being offered to doctors to sell profitable products) certainly makes sense in the world we live in; yet with no direct knowledge I cannot be sure and therefore choose to trust qualified professionals. It does haunt me to think that I could be wrong and I hope that if I am, there are qualified people out there fighting for more official information to be made public.
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What, you think companies like Blackmores et al aren’t interested in a profit? This is such a weird fallacy that I see time and time again – the belief that just because it’s “natural medicine” it has to be 100% ethical and never out for the cash. It’s just not true. In fact, there are way more charlatans in the “natural” field because there isn’t the rigour applied to their claims, the way there is in real medicine.
Also, there are plenty of “natural” products that turn a profit. Think about aspirin. Originally from the bark of a tree.
Pharmaceutical companies will develop any product, any product at all, provided it will turn the profit, i,e. IT WORKS.
If a ‘natural medicine’ is being ignored, it’s probably because it doesn’t work!
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I would get it is the odds were poor and the surgery very risky but %80 is good odds- I know I wouldn’t hesitate to operate.
What a sad situation for everyone.
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I have read a bit more about this case elsewhere. I recall reading that one doctor told this woman a risk of radiation therapy would be it ‘might fry his brain’. In some ways I can’t blame her for pursuing other options.
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It could be the heat or the 30 minute wait at Australia Post, but today I am an angry, angry woman and this article makes me even angrier.
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With parents who name their child Neon, did the poor kid ever have chance?
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Isn’t that a bit uncalled for? Ever have a chance at what exactly – life?
How many topics have been on this site about lay off the names of kids? – Couldn’t the same be said for you if your real name was Daisy?
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Possibly uncalled for but a valid point from Daisy. My partner mentioned this story to me tonight saying there was outrage over this woman’s decision to deny her son treatment until people found out his name, then thought, ‘Oh, okay, I get it’… Just saying, right or wrong, it’s an opinion people have and they will never change it.
*Daisy is a traditional name, has been doing the rounds for many years (recently 17th most popular name for girls in England and Wales, 2010), referred to in many classic works of literature etc. So no, same couldn’t be said for a real name of Daisy.
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It amuses me how people give Jamie Oliver crap for calling one of the kids Daisy, but Lily, Rose and Ivy are always beautiful, old-fashioned names. They’re all flowers and have been used for girls’ names (or a base for them – Lilian, Rosalie, etc) for years and years!
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That poor boy being used by his mother to stick it to the man like that. Good luck with your surgery, mate.
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Oxygen therapy – what a load of nonsense. Pure oxygen cures cancer? Well f*ck me why aren’t the big pharmaceutical companies onto this? What drivel. Stupid woman and that poor, poor child. An 80% chance of cure is an amazingly large percentage chance for a cancer cure. Imagine what this child will think in later life. His Mother effectively wanted to allow him to die. Shame.
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The drug companies hate all these therapies because you can’t patent oxygen. And if it does work they will lose billions on their stockpiles of carcinogenic treatments. That’s why they haven’t been onto this.
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Gold
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Exactly.
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And are the governments in on this too?
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Of course they are Bec, the whole conspiracy theory must cover everyone, the government, the drug companies the doctors, all of humanity against the little people!,! These conspiracy theories make my blood boil. Believe me it would be a shit load cheaper for the government to find a cure for cancer than to run around letting hundreds of thousands of people die every year and require treatment. Sickening that every crack pot that can run a google search thinks they know more than trained professionals who actually understand the difference between a good and bad piece of evidence.
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Crackpot here. I am not a conspiracy therory freak I am a woman who no longer blindly follows everything I am told. 10years or so ago I was given a drug to treat my arthritis which I’ve had since my teens. The result: I suffered numerous strokes and lost my speech for a while. The drug was later banned, but not before it had killed and disabled many.
Katmag, you are very rude.
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There’s nothing wrong with questioning. It’s when people question and get told answers that make sense and are provable and then go against them anyway (Hi, Meryl!), that you get into crackpot realms.
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Are you joking? How many proven tested studies have there been demonstrating the success rate of ‘oxygen therapy’. It’s statements like these that make people think that doctors just do surgery for the fun of it and to get enough money to buy their super yachts!
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No I’m not joking. The boy has already had the surgery and tests show he’s cancer free. The mother wanted the Dr’s to monitor his situation and only target the area where the tumors were. The Dr told her the entire brain had to be treated. He actually said the entire brain has to fried.
And when did I mention Dr’s?
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And the doctors told you this directly?
Or did you read the bits that his idiot mother says?
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Please don’t call her an idiot – there’s no need to be insulting.
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Maybe because that type of tumour spreads so rapidly and thoroughly they need to irradiate his brain not just in targeted areas. Radiotherapy after brain surgery is fairly common anyway, regardless of the outcome of the surgery.
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Oh please, what about the universities, hospitals and other research centres that research cancer. I don’t understand why people are so quick to blame the lack evidence to prove alternative treatments efficacy on ‘drug companies’ conspiracy theories. They aren’t the only ones doing research.
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Who funds their research?
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The Government. Cue Twilight Zone theme.
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Are you saying that you’ve never given money to cancer research? It’s made of government, companies, and private individuals.
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So the fact that oxygen therapy doesn’t work is irrelevent is it?
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I don’t know if it works but I know hyperbaric oxygen therapy is useful in treating many things including Damage caused by radiotherapy. How do you know it doesn’t work?
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Well anon58, I’ve had brain surgery a couple of times and would have it again over oxygen therapy. If my tumour were to recur I would also go for radiation therapy.
Like I said before I haven’t researched this, partly because it even sounds like hokum. If you believe in alternative therapies as a replacement for medical/surgical treatment, then ask Steve Jobs family what they think.
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Faybian, I’m very sorry to read you have had battles with tumors, but if you re-read LD’s question and my response I didn’t say anything negative about surgery. Tell me where I am wrong with what I answered. I have the idea you are a nurse and I respect nurses above Dr’s. They do wonderful work. I just think I have the right to my opinion.
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Yes I am a nurse (about 2 decades). Of course you have the right to your own opinion and having worked in the system I’ve seen it’s frailties over the years. I believe that medicine is an art as well as a science and that continuous treatment can end up being cruel and not respecting of life.
That said, if you don’t want treatment for yourself, you have that right, even for cancer. When you refuse it on behalf of someone else, particularly if it has a damn good chance of a better outcome than non treatment, I feel that’s wrong.
I know the uses of hyperbaric oxygen and the problem with trialling it for use in instances such as this is that it would be very hard to get it ethically approved and as such it’s an unproved method. Many oncologists are happy for patients to use alternative therapies while being treated conventionally, but I feel the best example of treating/mistreating cancer is Steve Jobs.
This is a hard one, because our knowledge of this case is limited by media releases.
I do get your frustration with the health care system, I’ve experienced it as a patient myself.
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And Elvis is living on Ayers Rock too, with Michael Jackson!
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Sounds harsh, but cancer means big bucks for drug companies as well as population control. It makes no economic sense to cure it. Chemotherapy (an oncology in general) is at best futile, and at worst an outrageous, unethical hoax.
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That doesn’t make sense.
The cost of cancer to public health systems worldwide, far, far outweighs the profits of the drugs.
Think about it for a second.
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It would be a hard place to be in!!
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Um. What about the viewpoint of the Father?
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He said he understood her fears but wants his son to have the surgery.
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The viewpoint of the father is what took this matter to court and resulted in the judge ensuring the surgery will go ahead.
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I bet she doesn’t immunise either.
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This article made me cry. That poor, poor little boy could die with all the time they are wasting. I don’t understand people who think that they know more than doctors; medically trained, qualified, experienced doctors, just because they can use Google. I hope this story ends well…
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I wouldn’t even treat my beloved dog with “oxygen therapy”, let alone my son! Poor child.
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What is “oxygen therapy”? Breathing?
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it’s inhaling pure oxygen.
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So, breathing.
How does it attack and kill a brain tumour then? Do you just have to believe really hard while you’re breathing?
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Perhaps eyes closed really tight. Or pebbles in a specific formation? I’m sure some expert will pop up to tell us!
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yes Kris2040, breathing. Breathing in Pure oxygen is different from the air you and I breathe obviously, so that’s why it’s called oxygen therapy. It’s supposed to be good for you, I’ve heard it’s good for the skin, but unfortunately, healing brain rumors, is highly unlikely.
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They do ‘oxygen therapy’ in Japan – in oxygen bars. Basically you go in and pay to breathe pure oxygen for a while (through special masks/tubes). It’s supposed to be good for the skin (but not stopping cancer!)
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While I strongly believe oxygen therapy is, well, a load of bollocks really, there is a difference between oxygen therapy and breathing. Air is 21% oxygen, the rest is made up of nitrogen, co2 and a bunch of other stuff. Pure oxygen is 100% oxygen. So I suppose its breathing, just 5 x the amount of oxygen.
I believe there are oxygen varsity popping up all over las Vegas and other money hungry places that offer different types of therapy – relaxing, invigorating or whatever. Not sure how they differ, since pure oxygen is the same no atter what you call it!
A phd friend of mine (something sciency relating to respiration and sleep disorders), said that the only reason they really give you oxygen on a plane i s because is completely relaxes people in the event of a disaster, and it is safer for people to e calm. So by that logic, he will be a very relaxed little boy who still has cancer. Terribly sad.
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Pure oxygen is actually toxic (http://tinyurl.com/d5ke4ml) . As for oxygen bars the US Drug and Food Administration recommends that anyone with heart or lung conditions avoid them.
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Pure oxygen may be toxic, but it is used in a range of ways in modern medicine. The effects of oxidization on the lungs can be offset by supplementing vitamin e for those that require it, but it isn’t that different to the level of oxidation experienced by elite endurance athletes. It can also cause retinopathy in extremely young children which in rare cases needs laser therapy. In cases where oxygen is used for medical purposes the benefits, I am guessing, probably outweighs the toxicity.
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I’m sorry MOTCM but your information isn’t exactly correct. Pure oxygen is very toxic and causes a range of short and long term effects that are difficult to manage. It is certainly not comparable to the ‘level of oxidation experienced by elite endurance athletes’. Depending on whether it is used for intra-pulmonary treatment or topical treatment it must be strictly monitored for toxic effects. There are only a few situations where the risks of oxygen toxicity outweigh the benefits and these are usually in situations that are life-threatening. The toxicity of 100% oxygen should not be underestimated, particularly in children.
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Love your name!
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Recently while in the Gold Coast i saw an oxygen bar. They said it helped getting a hangover.
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Alternative therapies are fine for treating non life threatening ailments. But anyone who chooses to treat cancer or anything serious with them is being very negligent with their own health. Laws regarding childrens health are in place for a reason.
I have a friend who works in oncology who has given up counting how many patients reject mainstream medicine for alternative treatments (usually because of fear and its the least invasive, least aggressive approach) and then when its too late for their cancer to be cured they return to mainstream medicine, having lost precious time that could have given them a better outcome.
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Extremely intelligent response! My daughter has a chronic (life threatening) disease and we have been bombarded with people recommending their herbs, potions, powders, sea water, etc.. It’s infuriating. If we’re talking simple problems, sure seaweed or whatever may help. Life-threatening? Not worth the gamble.
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Sorry to hear you and your daughter are going through this. I will keep you and your daughter in my thoughts. xx
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I saw a lot of that when I was having chemo. People would try all these crazy alternate methods then turn to conventional medicine when their cancer deteriorated. It was usually too late by then, so all they had to look forward to was palliative care and death.
They still wouldn’t take responsibility for their poor decisions though.
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This story is extremely heartbreaking. This mother is clearly not coping with her son’s illness and is just in complete denial.
As much as I support the curt’s decision, I still really feel for this woman.
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If it was my child I’d have him in surgery asap!
But it’s not my child….
Isn’t it really up to the parents?
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No, it isn’t up to the parents, when it comes to risking the boy’s life… there are many examples of when the law should intervene in the way parents raise and treat their parents… such as cases of neglect and abuse. Just because someone isn’t a parent doesn’t mean they always make the right decision.
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Actually no I don’t think it is. If it is not in the best interests of the child then I am pretty sure that as the court has they will intervene to give the child the best possible outcome.
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I read in an earlier U.K.mail article that he has already had the surgery and it was a success. He currently is cancer free. What the mother wanted was for the doctors to pin point the sites where the tumors were only with the radiation but was told for it to be successful they had to fry the whole brain. I think she is right to look at other treatments, and this case should scare mothers.
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Shouldn’t this case scare quacks trying to make money from desperate parents more than mothers?
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In Australia, parents dont have a choice when their child is diagnosed with cancer. They are handed over to their oncology team and the treatment is determined by them. I would assume the same in the UK. This is to try and remove unproven and experimental alternatives and having the child used as a guinea pig when its not in their best interest. Lets be clear here, chemotherapy and radiotherapy can be brutal and avoiding them might might make mum and dad feel that they are causing the least harm to their child, but by choosing an alternative they are not choosing the best proven treatment available.
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Um, this is absolutely untrue. Parents are very involved in their children’s medical treatment for cancer. They don’t just get ‘handed over to their oncologist’. Parents have to provide consent for every single treatment, and if the child is old enough to understand (usually 12ish or older), they’re supposed to be asked for consent also.
Where did you get the idea that doctors in this country are allowed to just do what they like to child patients?
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Thanks for the feedback guys.
And in a post below I think NurseCasi summed it up very well.
“Informed consent of the parent can be bypassed if it is in the best interest of the child. A parents view is based on their own personal beliefs but is also marred with emotion and at times an informed decision is hard to make. Yes a parent does give the strongest voice of the child but when that voice is not acting in the best interest of the child then someone else needs to speak for that child. If neon were older he would have a weigh in as well. This is why we have the courts because there are times when our children need a voice separate to that of their parents.”
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Always reminds me of Tim Minchins comment “do you know what they call Alternative medicines that have been proven to work….? Medicine”
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Was the Dara O’Briain who said that? Regardless, it is spot on.
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Was it Dara O’Briain who said that? Regardless, it is spot on.
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HER human right? what about the rights of her son??
I’m all for COMPLEMENTARY therapies but this is just out of control. This mother should have a coffee date with Meryl Dorey
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EXACTLY what i was thinking
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There have been a couple of cases exactly like this in Australian history as well, with courts overruling parents to administer life saving medical treatment to children & teens under 18. I understand the appeal of alternative therapies, and I definitely believe they have their place in the treatment of all sorts of conditions – but should they be used to treat a paediatric brain tumour? NO FLIPPIN’ WAY. I’d like to this most naturopaths would agree with me on this one.
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My heart is breaking for that little boy, and his father.
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Stories like this make me cringe. and parents who behave like this should be charged with neglect.
Alternative therapies are a ‘nice’ option but should never be chosen over medically proven, scientifically advanced, and enormously superior to neurosurgery.
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you are forgetting one major point….”chosen” by whom???….its the parents right only!….the public and the government have NO rights in this this issue!!…its like saying that YOU have a right to tell that mother what she should do….you can have an opinion, that YOUR right – but that all!
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What about the rights of the child?
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“its the parents right only!….the public and the government have NO rights in this this issue!!…”
Er, you’ve left out one other person who surely has rights in this matter.
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Is it a parents right to abuse their child?
Is it a parents right to chose to have their daughter undergo FGM?
It is the responsibility of the Government and the public to act if a child’s rights are at risk.
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This is a very grey area though. Yes the surgery will help him but can you say 100% that the alternative therapies won’t either?
No.
I don’t believe that she is withholding the surgery to hurt her child. I believe she is trying to avoid putting him through it unless he totally has absolutely no other option. And since he is a CHILD it is up to her has his parent to make that choice. Personally, if it was my child I would opt for the surgery. But its not me and my child (thank fack!). None of us are in the position to judge her, we are not having to deal with this scenario.
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well said lol. I agree.
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Sorry, I’m judging her.
As a GP my husband has watched over half a dozen of his ‘alternative lifestyle’ patients choose non conventional therapies over mainstream medicine to ‘treat’ cancers that these days, for most people are non fatal. It’s heart breaking to watch the opportunity to beat this disease slip away while these people explore ‘natural alternatives’. Then they die.
My husband’s patients were adults though, and had every right to choose the treatments they did and didn’t want. Personally I think it’s entirely appropriate that Neon be offered the treatment which statistically offers him the very best chance to reach adulthood himself. Then he can make whatever lifestyle decisions he wants.
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Yeah, I’m pretty comfortable saying that oxygen therapy won’t work, actually. 100%. It’s complete rubbish.
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Informed consent of the parent can be bypassed if it is in the best interest of the child. A parents view is based on their own personal beliefs but is also marred with emotion and at times an informed decision is hard to make. Yes a parent does give the strongest voice of the child but when that voice is not acting in the best interest of the child then someone else needs to speak for that child. If neon were older he would have a weigh in as well. This is why we have the courts because there are times when our children need a voice separate to that of their parents.
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What surprises and annoys me about a lot of the media coverage of this story is how often it is presented with the emotive phrase “against the mother’s wishes” with little or often no mention of the boy’s father Ben, Mrs Roberts’ estranged husband. He is supportive of surgery and anxious for it to happen as soon as possible.
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Makes me wonder if there is more to it – perhaps the mother is denying the surgery because the father wants it?
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Oh that’s awful! Poor dad, can’t imagine how hard it would be to put up with this shit when your child has cancer.
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yes i am wondering too if there is more to the story.
What are the side effects of the surgery? what are the risks? how long does oxygen therapy take? can it be tried first before the surgery?
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Here’s a short precis of risks of both.
Surgery – He could die because of the anasthetic. it does happen but is rare.
He could get damage to his brain which would lead to any number of effects.
He could have a bleed post surgery, this may or may not lead to brain damage or death.
Not all of the tumour may be accessible.
Risk of Oxygen therapy – He’s gunna die.
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Thank goodness for that judge.
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