Hunt launched for US boy who is resisting cancer treatment
A national manhunt was under way in the US today for a mother and her 13-year-old cancer-stricken son after the pair fled after refusing potentially life-saving treatment.
Colleen Hauser and her son Daniel, who suffers from Hodgkin’s lymphoma, have not been seen since leaving their Minnesota home on Monday after a doctor’s appointment revealed that the boy’s tumour had spread.
The family are refusing chemotherapy on religious grounds, leading to a court order for Daniel to be placed in protective custody and a ruling of medical neglect against his parents.
Daniel’s father Anthony told authorities he has not seen his family since Monday after his wife said she was leaving “for a time”.
Police have since issued an arrest warrant for the mother, with the search for the pair going nationwide.
James Olson, an attorney representing Brown County Family Services, said: “It’s absolutely crazy. It’s very disappointing. We’re trying to do what’s right for this young man.”
Doctors believe that Daniel has a high chance of beating cancer if he goes through chemotherapy treatment.
But the teenager quit the programme after just one session. Instead the family, who are Roman Catholic but are also members of the Nemenhah Band sect, are opting to treat the condition with alternative medicines and herbal remedies.
Daniel has told authorities that he would resist doctors’ attempts to force chemotherapy on him, but a judge ruled last week that the boy, who has learning disabilities and cannot read, did not understand the benefits of the treatment.
Brown County district judge John Rodenberg also ruled that his parents were medically neglecting the boy and Daniel should be placed in foster care for his own good.
In an interview with the local paper, Mr Hauser said he did not know where his wife was.
He added that he was “disappointed” that she did not attend a court session planned for Tuesday at which the family was going to outline a treatment plan.
He also reiterated the family’s opposition to chemotherapy.
Mr Hauser told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis: “I know many people around here who have had cancer. They did the chemo, it would come back. They did the chemo again and again and they are all in the grave. Chemo isn’t foolproof.”
But he has urged his wife and son to return.
He told reporters today: “I’d like to tell them come back and be safe and be a family again.”
