(WHDH) — Against his parents’ wishes, a judge on Wednesday ordered that a 3-year-old boy must resume chemotherapy to treat his acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Florida’s Hillsborough Circuit Judge Caroline Tesche Arkin handed down the ruling days after Noah McAdams’ parents decided to end his chemotherapy and treat his disease with marijuana-infused oils, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Joshua McAdams and Taylor Bland-Ball, along with their attorney Michael Minard, were disappointed with the ruling but encouraged as well, the newspaper reported.
“The best thing about this ruling is she didn’t chart the course for 3½ years,” Minardi told the Times. “She charted this course for the first phase of chemotherapy only.”
Noah’s parents told KTRK-TV that they wanted to treat their son’s leukemia with CBD oils, fresh foods, and clean alkaline water because his chemotherapy treatments were making him suffer “vicious mood swings.”
The boy underwent two rounds of chemotherapy before his parents pulled the plug on the treatment in April. They fled the state with Noah and were later found in Kentucky when an endangered child alert was issued.
Last week, a judge ordered Noah be sent home with his grandparents while weighing whether his parents were within their rights to end his treatment.
During Wednesday’s hearing, the judge did not rule on who gets custody of Noah, according to the newspaper. He will stay with his grandparents for now and immediately resume chemotherapy.
Noah’s leukemia is said to be curable in 90 percent of cases with the proper treatment regimen.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)