This was not his first round of treatments and his dad taking him to the hospital this time was supposed to be for some tests but was turned into an ambush! The boy and his family know that with treatment it will give him longer to live but they also know that every time they treat him and the cancer shows up again his quality of life and chances for recovery decrease and he feels like crap. I Think when someone is sick like he is and they or their family can articulate how they feel and want, their wishes should be obeyed.

I often compare this debate with the right to choose/right to life argument. But that’s another story…..

As parents it’s their responsibility to ensure that the health and welfare of their children is their only focus. If chemotherapy can save this child (possibly) then the parents MUST allow doctors to try it. I realize they’ve tried previously but it has been determined that another round might just save the child. It is these rare times the state must step in do what the parents refuse to do.

My heart does go out to this family and any other family that shares this tragedy.

Argie I am so with you. My heart goes out to this family.
I would wish this type of choice/decision upon no one.

My wifes father passed away this past Febuary and it was not a pretty site. He tried what the doctors recommended and in the end it sped up his death. If this family has already gone threw treatment once before and it did not work, and their son was in pain and it makes his condition worse leave them alone. The state should try to make his last days as happy as possible for his sake and his parents. My wifes father died a very slow and painful death because of the procedures he went threw. Some times the state just has to let people make a decision for themselves and just be there if they need help.

A few years ago, I went through a round of chemo. It was awful and I wanted to quit many times, but I didn't. There were too many people that would have been heartbroken if I had not tried my best to live. But at the same time, I was beginning to accept that if I quit the treatment, that I might die, and that became ok. The acceptance of death can be a difficult concept to understand for those people that have never experienced it, but believe it or not, it is quite a peaceful feeling. And we all have to do it sometime because death is one thing we all have in common, and it is inevitable. It is said when it is an adult that is gravely ill it is sad but when it is a child,it is tragic. Neverless, we owe it to the person,no matter what age, having the experience, to allow them to grieve for their life and then be at peace with a decision to not endure suffering any longer. It should not be societies decision to make on behalf of the individual because if it comes from a place of emotion it is not rational thought and in some cases, is an act of selfishness because we don't want the person to go. But as death is a part of life, so is the pain of those left behind. Something to deal with and honour the memory of the deceased with kind and loving thoughts. It's all we really have.

This takes her heart and crushed it to think of a child who has cancer. However, unless the doctors can give a 100% or even a 905 chance that this child will live with this round then I say that the choice is the boys and the parents. I dont think the CAS should of had the choice to step in. If it was my child I might think differently at the situation but I am not in it so I cant give a big opinion on it. The CAS are not the ones who are around after the fact. What if it just speeds up this child's death? What if it damages his brain or something other that is physical or mental for him? How about his emotional being? The pain that he is now subjectted to? Yes we should step in and take care of the children of this world however there must be lines drawn as well.

There's more to this story that was partly reported in the Hamilton Spectator on the weekend. This family is well known to CAS from previous encounters. Having worked with CAS in the past in my job, I can tell you there is more to this story than we will (or need) to know. This boy also has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and the results of a psychiatric test revealed he is not capable of understanding or making informed decisions. As a mom to two children and someone with a healthcare background, I appreciate the complexity of this situation-we're supposed to do everything we can to save people-this child has a 50% chance of survival. As a mom, as hard as it is to watch and endure as your child goes through painful procedures, I strongly believe that if I was told my child had even a TEN percent of survival, I'd go for it. My son was hospitalized for something which was potentially life threatening earlier this year...I can tell you it was pure hell and I was scared out of my mind-but my job was to get him through it and I did. I think CAS did the right thing and I think the media hasn't done its job for the most part in reporting this story accurately-because they can't and CAS can't tell us what has really gone on with this family. Based on my previous experiences in dealing with child protection issues, I stand by what CAS did in this situation-like it or not. Most people have no idea what some of us have had to witness with families-although this situation does bring up many ethical issues, we need to make sure we have all the facts before we take sides and I don't think we know them in this case.