A WA court has ordered little Oshin Strachan, who turned 6 just last week, to undergo chemotherapy after his parents refused treatment.
Last December, Oshin was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma, a fast growing and invasive brain tumour, however his parents refused treatment on the basis that they did not want to see their son suffer through the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.
“I would not put myself through such harsh treatments and such a huge barrage of chemo agents, how can I possibly allow them to do this to Oshin,” the boy’s mother, Angela Kiszko, said.
But when Oshin’s parents refused the suggested treatments, a doctor from Princess Margaret Hospital in Perth took legal action and a WA court ruled that he should start treatment straight after his birthday party.
The decision was made after the court was told that without treatment, Oshin would only have months to live but that if he started chemotherapy straight away, he had a 30 percent chance of surviving for five years.
The West Australian reports that while Family Court chief justice Stephen Thackray said the evidence suggested Angela and Colin had “tried to approach this matter on the basis of what is in the best interests of their child,” the possibility of a long-term cure weighed heavily in his decision.
He also said that “the uncontested medical evidence is that the great majority of other parents faced with a similar decision would opt for the intervention that the hospital proposes” and this was a particularly important factor in the final ruling.
The decision was shattering for the family, with Oshin commencing chemotherapy against their will.
Lynda Jones spoke to Seven News and said it was “absolutely heartbreaking”, sharing that Angela and Colin had made a conscious decision “that there are better options available elsewhere, specialised medical options.”
“If he survives, he will have hearing aids, cataracts in his eyes, his spine won’t develop properly, he will never have an IQ over 70 … Only a parent who has been presented with this diagnosis could appreciate what they have been going through.”
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Main image courtesy of GoFundMe
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