Case Study Abraham Cherrix

I have chosen to write my paper on Abraham Cherrix from Chincoteague, Virginia. Abraham is a 16 year old boy who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease and has already had a full round of chemotherapy which did not cure his cancer. In February of 2006, Abraham's cancer reappeared. (Moore, 2006) Doctors wanted him to receive a second full round of chemotherapy which Abraham disagreed with. Abraham's parents took his side and went against receiving the second round of chemotherapy as well which got them charged with medical neglect. (Moore, 2006) Abraham and his parents wanted to start an alternative method of treatment called the Hoxsey method from Mexico which includes a herbal remedy four times a day and an organic diet. (Moore, 2006) Him and
I would want to do what has the best results but then again I have to put into context the symptoms of the treatment and how it would make me feel. For Abraham, he had already undergone chemotherapy once which totally ruined his body. The treatment made him very weak, bald, and devastated. (Moore, 2006) His cancer came back and the doctors wanted him to undergo chemotherapy once more to rid the cancer but he said no because he believed it would ruin his body even more than before. (Caplan, 2006) In Abraham's case, I would have said no as well and went with an alternative method of treatment. I agree with Abraham and his family, my stance on this situation is that they made the right decision for him not to receive a second round of chemotherapy. It may have a better chance to save his life, but it is all about the quality of life you are living. Abraham had a horrific experience the first time, and if he did chemotherapy for a second time, he would not have a good quality of life because he would be so weak. As far as determining who has the responsibility of deciding whether or not to receive cancer treatment may vary. If it is a young child then they probably do not know enough about the various treatments and symptoms
My policy would be fairly similar. It should be the parents responsibility to chose if their child, whom is the patient, will undergo cancer treatment but only under the circumstance that the child is not mature enough or does not fully understand the treatment and the possible outcomes of the treatment. If the patient is fifteen years or older than they should have the responsibility of chosing whether or not to undergo cancer treatment. I say this because fifteen year olds are old enough to know right from wrong and be able to start making some decisions as long as they are mature enough. This would give the child autonomy: a right to choose what they want to do to try and rid their diagnosed cancer. The child who would be receiving the treatment needs to have a full understanding of what the treatment will do to them and the outcomes of it. The outcomes of some cancer treatments are very good which means they have a high chance of killing and getting rid of the cancer. The child, or patient, must be able to fully understand what this treatment can do for them in the long run and be mature enough to make a possible life changing decision. Within my policy, if the child is not mature enough or does not fully understand the treatment being fifteen years or older then the parents should have the