A 13-year-old US boy with cancer who fled Minnesota with his mother to avoid chemotherapy must continue getting the treatment because it appears to be working, a judge has ruled.
The ruling came as court documents showed that Daniel Hauser's tumour had shrunk significantly after a recent round of chemotherapy.
Daniel's parents are still concerned about the risks of chemotherapy, which they initially had rejected for religious reasons, saying it harms the body.
But they told Judge John Rodenberg that they would take Daniel to a chemo appointment on Wednesday while carrying out his treatment one step at a time.
Rodenberg told Colleen and Anthony Hauser they can keep looking for other ways to treat their son's Hodgkin's lymphoma. Daniel was at court during the hearing but was not in the courtroom.
"If at the end of the day Daniel lives through this, I am not going to care... what cures him," the judge said. "I want Daniel to be well, and I know you do too."
Rodenberg ruled that the boy is still in need of child protection services, agreeing with Brown County prosecutor James Olson that the case should stay in court.
Olson pointed out that the family has resisted chemotherapy in the past, noting that Colleen fled with Daniel to California in May rather than showing up at a court hearing on the matter.
"History has shown they're not going to comply unless they have some sort of hammer hanging over their head," he said.
The Hausers' lawyer, Barbara Gislason, said the family's promise to take Daniel to his chemo appointment does not mean they believe in the treatment.
They are still looking for alternatives, she said.
In an affidavit, Colleen Hauser said she seeks the court's forgiveness for fleeing with her son and thanks the judge for allowing Daniel to stay with the family after the two returned from California.
AP
