Daniel Hauser Fled Home to Avoid Chemotherapy, But Court-Ordered Treatments Seem to Work Wonders
SLEEPY EYE, Minn. (CBS/AP) A young boy who fled to avoid conventional cancer treatments on religious grounds, but who was ordered by a judge to come home, appears to now be cancer-free after completing the treatments.
13-year-old Daniel Hauser, of rural Sleepy Eye, Minn., underwent his final radiation session Friday.
Daniel and his mother gained national attention when he stopped chemotherapy treatment after one session in February and fled, citing his religious beliefs, and the fact that the regimen made him ill.
After he returned, he underwent court-ordered chemo to treat Hodgkin's lymphoma, then started radiation therapy.
Family spokesman Dan Zwakman told local reporters everything is going as planned.
A Brown County, Minn. judge has asked for reports from Brown County Family Services and Daniel's doctor. If everything looks good, the case will likely be closed.
The FBI said when the boy and his mother fled they flew to Los Angeles. Investigators suspected they might have been heading to one of a number of alternative cancer clinics in northern Mexico.
Earlier this year, Daniel said he believed the improvement in his condition was being caused by his alternative treatments, which include vitamin supplements, ionized water and organic foods and other dietary restrictions.
The family prefers natural healing practices suggested by a religious group called the Nemenhah Band, an Internet-based group whose leader lives in southwest Missouri and which says it follows American Indian beliefs.
Hodgkin's lymphoma has a 90 percent cure rate in children if treated with chemotherapy and radiation, and doctors said Daniel would likely have died without treatments.