Judge: Boy must resume chemotherapy, despite parents’ wishes

TAMPA, Fla. – A judge has ruled that a 3-year-old Florida boy must resume his cancer treatment, despite his parents’ wishes.

The Tampa Bay Times reports that Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Caroline Tesche Arkin ruled Wednesday that Noah McAdams must immediately resume the first phase of chemotherapy to treat his leukemia.

Joshua McAdams and Taylor Bland-Ball want to treat their son with natural remedies that include cannabidiol, fresh foods and alkaline water. Noah was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia April 4.

The judge gave custody of Noah to his maternal grandparents earlier this month. When the parents had failed to show up for a scheduled chemotherapy treatment, Florida authorities issued an endangered child alert. The family was tracked down in Kentucky and the boy was returned to Tampa.

The parents say they hope to soon get permission for unsupervised visits.

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Information from: Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Fla.), http://www.tampabay.com.