Daniel Hauser is alive and cancer-free

Almost six months ago we posted here about Daniel Hauser, a teenager in Minnesota whose parents were trying to deny him the cancer treatment that might save his life. Fortunately for Daniel, a judge took custody of him, appointed a guardian, and required him to undergo the treatment.

Now that his treatment is finished, Danny's physicians reported that their tests show no evidence of the Hodgkin's lymphoma that was first diagnosed last winter, Zwakman said. Earlier, they had warned that the cancer probably would kill him if it went untreated.

Even the family appears to consider this good news:

"He's one happy boy now," family spokesman Dan Zwakman said. "His smile is back, his energy is back, and he may be out harvesting corn for the dairy cows this afternoon." Zwakman met with the family after Danny's final radiation treatment Friday at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.

They appear to attribute his recovery not to the medical treatment he has received, but to dietary supplements and a strict diet. Still, we can all be glad that this boy's parents were not allowed to kill him.

Judge to parents: I won't let you kill your kid

Good news for Daniel Hauser: a judge in Minnesota has ruled that his parents may not refuse him treatment for his cancer, even though he allegedly also wanted to refuse treatment.

The boy is thirteen years old, and dominated by his parents, who are Catholics but also belong to a made-up cult that claims to use "natural healing" methods. His doctors testified that with treatment Daniel has a 90% chance of surviving, whereas without it his chances are 5%.

So why doesn't the kid get to make his own decision?

Well, first off, he's thirteen, and kids that age don't get to make that kind of decision. He can't read. And, as the judge found, Daniel has only a "rudimentary understanding at best of the risks and benefits of chemotherapy. ... he does not believe he is ill currently. The fact is that he is very ill currently."

What's the parents' solution? Treat him with "herbal supplements, vitamins, ionized water, and other natural alternatives — despite testimony from five doctors who agreed Daniel needed chemotherapy."

Sometime, assuming this kid grows to adulthood, and he understands a little more about life and death, I'll be glad to see him make his own decisions. Now, as a juvenile who has no understanding of the situation he's in, and in the hands of parents who are equally clueless, he needs someone with a level head on his shoulders to protect him from those parents. I'm glad this judge was there.