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Teen Cancer Patient to Get Alt. Treatment

Posted on: Sunday, 23 October 2005, 00:00 CDT

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - The parents of a 13-year-old cancer patient who have been fighting the state over her medical treatment will be allowed to take her to Kansas to pursue intravenous Vitamin C treatment.

First, however, the girl must undergo five days of chemotherapy, state District Judge Jack Hunter, newly appointed to the case, ruled Friday.

The case was back in court after Katie Wernecke's parents tried to stop their daughter's chemotherapy that was to begin this weekend. They argued the treatment was experimental and that they had not been properly informed about it.

Katie was diagnosed in January with Hodgkin's disease, a cancer of the lymphatic system. By May, her parents believed chemotherapy had killed the tumor in her chest and feared the recommended radiation treatment would do her more harm than good.

After a doctor informed Child Protective Services that her parents were interfering with treatment, Michele Wernecke fled with Katie, prompting the state to take custody of the girl.

Katie has since been with a foster family in Houston and undergoing treatment.

In court Friday, Dr. Robert Wells, Katie's pediatric oncologist, said the chances the teen can beat the illness are now less than 25 percent because of the repeated delays. He said the alternative her parents want to try isn't a viable option.

The judge still agreed to allow the Werneckes to take their daughter for a consultation. He didn't rule on the state's request that a caseworker accompany them.

Source: Associated Press/AP Online

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