Judge orders three-year-old boy to undergo chemotherapy

Judge orders a three-year-old boy with cancer to undergo chemotherapy after his parents refused the medical treatment in favor of cannabis and natural remedies

  • Three-year-old Noah McAdams will have to undergo chemotherapy in Florida from Thursday to treat his acute lymphoblastic leukemia
  • A judge ruled on Wednesday that Noah will have to undergo multiple rounds of chemotherapy over the next 28 days
  • His parents, Joshua McAdams and Taylor Bland-Ball urged the judge to let him be treated only with medical marijuana and other holistic remedies
  • Noah underwent two rounds of chemotherapy following his April 4 diagnosis 
  • His parents decided to stop the treatment over fears of the side effects and police were alerted when they failed to show up for medical appointments
  • Police found the family in Kentucky days later and arrested Noah’s parents
  • They deny they were fleeing Florida and claim they were on their way to consult with a Cincinnati doctor about alternative treatments 

A judge has ruled that a three-year-old cancer patient must undergo chemotherapy after authorities said his parents were refusing the medical treatment in favor of natural remedies.

Noah McAdams will have to undergo several rounds of chemotherapy over the next 28 days in conjunction with other alternative treatments, the judge ruled on Wednesday in Tampa, Florida.   

His parents, Joshua McAdams, 27, and Taylor Bland-Ball, 22, had urged the judge to allow them to only treat Noah with medical marijuana and other holistic remedies instead of chemotherapy. 

The judge delayed a judgement on whether Noah will be forced to complete additional chemotherapy after the court ordered 28 days. 

A judge ruled on Wednesday that Noah McAdams will have to undergo to treat his leukemia after police said his parents – Joshua McAdams, 27, and Taylor Bland-Ball, 22 -were refusing the medical treatment in favor of natural remedies

The ruling is the latest twist in the controversial case involving Noah after he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia – cancer of the blood and bone marrow – on April 4.

Noah underwent the first two rounds of chemotherapy at All Children’s Hospital in in St. Petersburg before his parents decided to stop the treatment over fears of the side effects. 

The hospital alerted police when the couple failed to bring Noah in for his next chemotherapy treatment on April 22 and refused to attend a follow up medical appointment. 

By the time police received a court order to take Noah into child protective services, McAdams and Bland-Ball had fled out-of-state with their son. 

Police put an alert out for Noah and eventually tracked the family down in Georgetown, Kentucky on April 29.

Noah underwent the first two rounds of chemotherapy at All Children's Hospital in in St. Petersburg before his parents decided to stop the treatment over fears of the side effects

Noah underwent the first two rounds of chemotherapy at All Children’s Hospital in in St. Petersburg before his parents decided to stop the treatment over fears of the side effects 

Taylor Bland-Ball

Joshua McAdams

Taylor Bland-Ball, 22, and Joshua McAdams, 27, lost custody of their son after police say they refused to provide him with the medical treatment he needs and instead fled from Florida to Kentucky

Noah's parents, pictured outside court, will be allowed to treat their son with natural remedies in addition to chemotherapy for the next 28 days

Noah’s parents, pictured outside court, will be allowed to treat their son with natural remedies in addition to chemotherapy for the next 28 days

McAdams and Bland-Ball deny they were fleeing Florida and claim they were on their way to consult with a Cincinnati doctor about alternative treatments. 

The couple were taken into custody to face child neglect charges. 

Noah is currently being cared for by his grandmother while his parents fight to regain custody. 

The little boy’s parents claimed Noah was cancer free after his first chemotherapy treatments – just 12 days after his initial diagnosis. 

At the time, Bland-Ball credited her son’s ‘recovery’ to vitamins, an alkaline diet and alternative methods of treatment. 

Following the news that Noah had been removed from their custody, Noah’s mother again took to Facebook thanking people for their support.  

‘We are okay. They are taking Noah. We are on our way back to Florida tonight. Thank you so much for your support. Our hearts our broken and all we want is for our boy to get HEALTHY BIOLOGICALLY SOUND TREATMENT,’ she wrote. 

‘No neglect here considering his levels are the best they’ve ever been and still cancer free after two weeks without chemotherapy – shocker! Thank you for standing with us!’

The little boy's parents claimed Noah was cancer free after his first chemotherapy treatments - just 12 days after his initial diagnosis. They credited the boy's 'recovery' to vitamins, an alkaline diet and alternative methods of treatment

The little boy’s parents claimed Noah was cancer free after his first chemotherapy treatments – just 12 days after his initial diagnosis. They credited the boy’s ‘recovery’ to vitamins, an alkaline diet and alternative methods of treatment

Noah is currently being cared for by his grandmother while his parents fight to regain custody

Noah is currently being cared for by his grandmother while his parents fight to regain custody 

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