09/15/2006

By SHELIA BYRD  / Associated Press

The condition of a Virginia teenage cancer patient appears to be improving less than a month after he won a court fight to forgo chemotherapy and seek alternative treatments, his doctor said Friday.

Dr. Arnold Smith, medical director and radiation oncologist at the North Central Mississippi Regional Cancer Center in Greenwood, has been treating 16-year-old Starchild Abraham Cherrix for three weeks.

"His tumor is shrinking very nicely and he's gaining energy and stamina," Smith told a group of reporters outside the hospital.

It was the first update on the teenager's condition since his family was allowed to pursue alternative treatments for him in his battle with Hodgkin's disease.

Neither Cherrix or Smith would discuss any specifics about the treatment.

Cherrix, dressed in bluejeans, a button-down shirt and a baseball cap that read: "Victory shall be mine," said he's feeling excellent.

"This treatment has been working for me," he said. "I've had a tremendous boost of energy."

A court hearing was held in August in Accomack County Circuit Court in Accomac, Va., where Cherrix's attorneys and social services officials reached a resolution to allow the teenager to forgo chemotherapy for his battle with the disease.

Under the agreement, Abraham could be treated by an oncologist of his choice who is board-certified in radiation therapy and is interested in alternative treatments.

The family must provide the court updates on Abraham's treatment and condition every three months until he's cured, or turns 18, and notify the court immediately if treatment is discontinued.

The family chose Smith, who uses immunotherapy to restore the immune system, combined with radiation therapy and chemotherapy when necessary.

On Friday, Jay Cherrix, the teen's father, said chemotherapy was not in his son's current treatment plan.

Cherrix was diagnosed last summer with Hodgkin's disease, a cancer of the lymphatic system that is considered very treatable in its early stages.

Cherrix would not say if he was still following an alternative liquid herbal treatment called the Hoxsey method as well as his doctor's treatment regimen. He began the Hoxsey method under the supervision of a Mexican clinic.

Smith said his treatment incorporated nutritional therapy using plant-based products to treat illnesses.

In using nutritional therapy, Smith said he used methods "we believe either are approved by, or outside, the jurisdiction of the FDA."

Abraham said an average day in Greenwood varied — some days, he plays board games with his sister while on other days he might ride a bike uptown.

The teen's family has leased a house in Greenwood but his mother and younger brother remain in Chincoteague on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

Abraham was so debilitated by three months of chemotherapy that he declined a second, more intensive round that doctors recommended early this year. He has said he thought it would kill him.

His then-oncologist alerted social services officials when Abraham chose instead to go on a sugar-free, organic diet and use the Hoxsey tonic, the sale of which was banned in the United States in 1960. According to the American Cancer Society, there is no scientific evidence that Hoxsey is effective in treating cancer.

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On the Net:

Abraham Cherrix: http://www.abrahamsjourney.com

Dr. Arnold Smith: http://www.cancernet.com/