Nemenhah Band: No Chemo

A Minnesota judge will make a ruling today as to whether or not the family of a 13-year-old boy diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma will be forced to put their child through chemotherapy.

The family, members of religious group based in missouri called the Nemenhah Band are in favor of practicing alternative and natural healing on the boy in liu of traditional radiation therapy.

Dr. Bruce Brostrom, a pediatric oncologist at Children's Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota believes the boy's chances are slim if he doesn't undergo chemo very soon.

"It is almost certain that he will die," says the doctor, who is now a part of the legal proceedings against the family - he says that without chemo the boy's chances of survival are a mere 5 percent. The family's healing practices are based on those of the American Indians and will involve certain nutritional supplements and natural healing methods.

The family had originally consented to chemotherapy treatments for their son after a frightening trip to the emergency room - after his first and only round of chemo the tumor reportedly got smaller.

The boy's parents had a change of heart and mind due to the negative effects that the chemo treatment had on their son. "My son is not in any medical danger at this point," Colleen Hauser testified. She also testified that Daniel was a medicine man and elder in the Nemenhah Band. Dr. Bostrom notified the Child Protection authorities in Minnesota, which began an investigation and the ongoing court precedings. Daniel Hauser "does not have a complete understanding of what it means to be a medicine man or an elder," Brown County Attorney James Olson wrote in a legal filing.

The Hausers, who are Roman Catholic, have eight children. Colleen Hauser told the New Ulm Journal newspaper that the family's Catholicism and adherence to the Nemenhah Band are not in conflict, and said she has treated illness with natural remedies her entire life.

Nemenhah was founded in the 1990s by Philip Cloudpiler Landis, who said Thursday that he was one-fourth American Indian. Nemenhah adherents are asked to pay $250 to be members. "We're non-dogmatic, a very universal faith," Landis said. Nemenhah was founded in the 1990's by Philip Cloudpiler Landis who is one-fourth American Indian - he says the curch is non-dogmatic and can be practiced universally accross many religions.

"The issue is Danny's right to decide how he wants to live his life," Landis said. "What if they make him take chemotherapy and he dies from that? The band will mourn with the family if that's the case, but we'll rejoice that Danny had the opportunity to test the law of the land."

Hauser case final argument briefs: http://www.courts.state.mn.us/?pageNewsItemD isplay&item45848
Nemenhah Band: http://www.nemenhah.org
Natural Cures: http:// www.insidershealth.com/natural_cures