They're Always Taking

Virginia Teen Fights For Right To Pick Hodgkin's Treatment
Abraham Cherrix, 16, went through chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease that left him so weak that his father carried the 6-foot-1 youth from the car to the house. Doctors tell him he needs a second round of chemo to get rid of the cancer that reappeared in February.

Abraham says no, and his parents are backing him up.

Now the Virginia family is in juvenile court, the parents are charged with medical neglect and the Accomack County social services agency has joint custody of Abraham. The agency asked the court to order the boy to undergo chemotherapy.

A court hearing continued Tuesday. Each side plans to appeal an adverse ruling, family lawyer Barry Taylor says.

Abraham and his family are treating his cancer with an herbal remedy four times a day and an organic diet under the guidance of a clinic in Mexico. The remedy, called the Hoxsey method, has not been clinically tested, and there is no scientific evidence that it is effective, the American Cancer Society says.

Although he is not old enough to cast a vote or buy an alcoholic drink, Abraham argues that he is old enough to make decisions about treatment to save his life.

"This is my body that I'm supposed to take care of. I should have the right to tell someone what I want to do with this body," he says. "I studied. I did research. I came to this conclusion that the chemotherapy was not the route I wanted to take."

Since the Chemo drug likes to interfere with fast dividing cells (changing cells), this treatment works great but think how many other cells divide in your body on a regular controlled basis in your hair, nose, intestinal tract, red and white blood cells. Chemo kills all of the cells that pretty much let you have a normal life.

Chemo causes
Hair loss
Nausea and vomiting
Diarrhea or constipation
Anemia
Depression of the immune system hence (potentially lethal) infections and sepsis
Hemorrhage
Secondary neoplasms
Cardiotoxicity
Hepatotoxicity
Nephrotoxicity
Ototoxicity

So pretty much this 16 year old knows after trying chemo that it wasn't what he wanted. He doesn't want a slow, agonizing, drawn out death so doctors can practice new doses of treatment on him like they do to every other cancer patient that comes their way and I think Abraham and everyone else has a right to decline being pumped full of shit.