Parents Try To Stop Court Ordered Chemotherapy

The parents of a six-year-old Perth boy diagnosed with cancer in November of 2015 are in the midst of seeking legal advice on how they can stop their son from continuing with court-ordered chemotherapy. Oshin Kiszko’s parents opposed treatment for his condition due to side effects.

Oshin has currently undergone three rounds of the court-ordered chemotherapy treatment, but not radiation. At present his parents are requesting that his quality of life be considered by the courts. Oshin has struggled with the chemotherapy, and is suffering with ulcers in the stomach. He can barely eat or use the toilet, and he has started to act out angrily in order to avoid attending the treatment.

His mother Angela made headlines in April when she appeared on 60 Minutes and claimed that she “didn’t understand” the radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments, and was therefore not able to support it. She instead wanted Oshin to be treated with alternative therapies at a clinic in Asia, despite their treatment offering no scientific backing.

source: smh.com.au

“I don’t want my son’s brain fried with radiation,” Angela said.

“The effects are too harsh, too damaging and I find it really difficult to even call it treatment.”

When Angela and Oshin’s father Adrian refused to treat the boy further, they were taken to court by their son’s doctors. The courts ruled against the family’s wishes, and Oshin started chemotherapy just after his sixth birthday. However as he gave the order, Family Court Chief Judge Stephen Thackray did admit that the chances of Oshin surviving beyond five years were quite slim. He also acknowledged Oshin’s parents “have done what they thought was right”.

However Oshin’s condition has since deteriorated, something blamed on the immense delay between his diagnosis and the start of his treatment due to court proceedings. Doctors now want to begin treating the boy with radiotherapy on top of his chemotherapy, a plan that his parents have expressed considerable concern over.

source: Go Fund Me

Parents Try To Stop Court Ordered Chemotherapy

“As parents we know our child better than anyone,” his mother said.

With opinion currently in deadlock, the courts have been called in. The ethics committee at the Princess Margaret Hospital where Oshin is being treated cannot decide on whether they can support a palliative care treatment plan, which has been requested by his parents. They say that with his survival rate even with treatment at 40%, there’s no reason to continue to subject him to the painful process.

“I would like to offer Oshin peace, love and some fun times while we still can,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald.

The court is yet to make a decision on the matter.