TAMPA, Fla. — In the medical custody battle for 3-year-old Joshua "Noah" McAdams, a judge has ruled that Noah must undergo the first round of chemotherapy for 28 days in conjuction with other alternative treatments.
- Noah McAdams will be treated with chemo, alternative medicine
- Parents want 3-year-old Noah to be treated with natural remedies
- Medical experts say Noah needs chemotherapy or will die
Noah McAdams is diagnosed with Leukemia. His parents, Joshua McAdams and Taylor Bland-Ball, want to treat him with natural remedies. However, medical experts say he needs chemotherapy.
On Wednesday, Judge Caroline Tesche Arkin ruled that Noah can be given chemo and alternative medicine for the first phase of his cancer treatments after hearing from medical experts.
“I gave (the judge) an option -- if you’re going to do chemo, please allow us to do other treatments with it,“ said Michael Minardi, an attorney for Noah’s parents. “I think she saw the testimony of the doctors, and this is a benefit to them.”
Noah’s mother said she agreed, saying “we hope that the judge on the next case will consider allowing us to use alternative treatments exclusively.”
Noah only requires two treatments of chemotherapy for this first phase, because he was already given two rounds before his parents stopped the treatment. That phase lasts for 28 days and could start as early as this week.
Back in April, Noah's parents skipped a chemotherapy appointment, then fled the state so Noah couldn't be taken away from them. The three of them were located in Georgetown, Kentucky on April 29.
Noah is currently in the care of his grandparents, and his parents are facing charges. They wanted to treat him with medical marijuana, intravenous vitamins, and oxygen therapy instead of traditional western medicine.
An emergency hearing was called Tuesday for a judge to hear the case. The media was not allowed to remain in the courtroom for the proceedings amid privacy concerns over Noah’s medical records.
The court battle has sparked debates among other parents whose own children have been treated for cancer.
"It's just amazing to see that they have, they're telling the parents that if you do not do the chemotherapy your child will die. — We did vitamins, we did supplements, we did cannabis therapy," said Victoria who used alternative treatments.
"Chemo is the method of treating it and it's successful. It's the way to go, so I had the benefit of that knowledge, the benefit of those studies, that long-term bit of knowledge, and with that we elected this," said Charles Gallagher who used chemotherapy.
As the hearing resumed Wednesday morning, a small rally supporting the McAdams gathered outside the courthouse.