"Doctors and nurses at Southampton General Hospital told BBC South about the ‘outpouring of hatred’ they received from members of the public amid the ‘tsunami of media interest’ and how in their view young Ashya’s life was ‘put… at huge risk’ by his parents...." [ I think the public recognised that Ashya`s parents were fighting for his life.]
"Five-year-old Ashya King was removed from hospital, where he was being treated for a brain tumour, by his parents. At the time he could not swallow and had to be fed through his nose."
"Sister Mandy Frisby, who cared for him, told BBC South: "The dangers to Ashya would be that the feed going into his stomach could go into his lungs and that could have very serious consequences… He could die…. It just seemed… so unsafe, this child was so vulnerable, and they were so caring and I just couldn’t put the two together." [Here`s how to put it together. The parents had decided that Ashya was too weak to withstand the NHS treatment on offer. They wasted no time and transported their son safely to Europe for alternative treatment.]
"Another member of the nursing staff, Matron Kate Pye, said: "Through the use of media, through YouTube, they were showing a child who was being fed but nobody knew that they didn’t know how to feed him… We were really glad he was safe, but actually, fundamentally, they put him at huge risk. And if you asked me again, ‘Would I phone the police?’ the answer would be yes every time. Because if something had happened to that little boy in that car, then we would have been accountable for that."...[No it was the parents` decision.]
"The Kings took the decision to take Ashya to Prague to seek proton therapy. His doctors had recommended a course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. But the Kings were concerned that was a danger to their son and wanted to try a different treatment abroad. The NHS trust involved had agreed to help with this, but the Kings would have to pay for it privately."
"After Ashya had left the UK and gone to Prague, in an unprecedented move, the NHS agreed to pay for his proton therapy, against the advice of its own independent experts. The clinicians at Southampton say that decision has left doctors across the country in a difficult position."
"Dr Peter Wilson said: "It does put clinicians in an impossible position because we now have to try to explain to families why one child... is getting a form of treatment, why they can’t and they’ve got the same tumour… And that’s deeply unfair when the NHS is supposed to be about equal healthcare for all." [Should Ashya have been sacrificed for the sake of equality? What parent could go along with that?]
"Paediatric Oncology Consultant Dr Ramya Ramanujachar said: "I don’t think the parents can look after their own child with a brain tumour and be not only the carers but also the professionals directing, managing and dictating their child’s treatment." [The Kings had done their research and were aware of an alternative treatment. Proton Therapy targets the tumour but avoids damage to other vital organs. Dr Ramanujachar overstates his case.]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2015/ashya-king
Ashya – The Untold Story is available nationally on BBC iPlayer.
Judgement by the Honourable Mr Justice Baker
"The course of treatment proposed by Mr and Mrs King is entirely reasonable. Ashya has a serious medical condition. Any parents in the position of Mr and Mrs King would do whatever they could to explore all options. Some parents would follow the advice of the local doctors to use conventional radiotherapy, others would prefer the relatively untested option of proton therapy (assuming the funds can be made available to meet the cost of transport and treatment) in the hope that the toxic effects of radiation will be reduced. Both courses are reasonable and it is the parents who bear the heavy responsibility of making the decision. It is no business of this court, or any other public authority, to interfere with their decision." https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/judgment-ashya-king-08092014.pdf
"Five-year-old Ashya King's life has been saved by specialist proton beam therapy, not available for him on the NHS, his parents have said. Naghmeh and Brett King, who sparked an international manhunt last summer by removing their son from a UK hospital without medical consent for brain tumour treatment abroad, told The Sun newspaper Ashya was now cancer-free."
"However, the Czech clinic where Ashya was treated have said there is no guarantee he will not suffer a relapse.. `But we have treated more than 60 children here in Prague with brain tumours and all of the kids are doing very well.`"
'Mrs King described Ashya's recovery as `a miracle`. `If we had left Ashya with the NHS in Britain, he would not be with us today,` she told The Sun. `He was too weak and would not have survived.`"
"Ashya was finally allowed to undergo treatment at the Proton Therapy Centre (PTC) in Prague for brain cancer after a long legal battle fought by his parents."
"Mr King said his son's condition now justifies their actions in taking him from Southampton General Hospital last August, to Spain where they have a holiday home. He said: `We have saved his life`, adding that they would do the same thing again if they felt they had to."
"The Kings were arrested in Spain and spent several nights in prison away from their son, before being released."
"A High Court judge approved the move to take Ashya to Prague for proton therapy, which the PTC said is more effective than the radiotherapy Ashya was being offered on the NHS." [Yes, only after the parents broadcast their desperate situation to the world on Youtube. Had there been a court order in place, gagging them, their imprisonment might not have been temporary. Fortunately, they acted quickly enough to avoid that scenario. But there is no doubt Social Services were coming after them.]
The family, who have previously spoken of their apprehension over returning to the UK for fear social services would get involved, are staying in Marbella where Ashya will continue his recovery.
http://news.sky.com/story/1450445/ashya-saved-by-therapy-denied-by-nhs
One comment:
"Shame on Social Services for acting in such a Bullish manner. Any parents would do the same thing if faced with this situation."
See http://alicemooreuk.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/ashya-king-allowed-to-go-to-prague-for.html
"The parents of critically ill five-year-old Ashya King have been granted permission to fly him to Prague for lifesaving treatment."
"A private jet is expected to take the boy to Prague for proton beam radiotherapy therapy to treat his brain tumour."
"In an emergency hearing via telephone conference with London's High Court, the international legal tug-of-war ended with Mr Justice Baker allowing Ashya's parents Brett and Naghmeh King to take the next step in the race to get him life-saving treatment."
"Their eldest son Danny King said his parents never want to return to the UK."
"`They never want to go back after this,`" he added. `It's been a nightmare.`"
"The family were said to be ecstatic that their "nightmare" was finally over."
"A review into the authorities role in the affair was last night ordered by Portsmouth Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) who said it would be examining "all the actions involved" in the case."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/11078525/Ashya-Kings-parents-allowed-to-take-him-to-Prague-for-treatment.html
See court order http://www.familylaw.co.uk/system/redactor_assets/documents/1245/Wardship_Proceedings_Ashya_King.pdf
"After immense public and political pressure the Crown Prosecution Service told the High Court they will withdraw their European arrest warrants for Brett, 51, and Naghmeh, 45, King and also abandon extradition plans."
"The couple have been languishing in one of Spain’s most notorious jails - the Soto del Real prison near Madrid - after they took Ashya from Southampton General Hospital without consent last Thursday in a row over his brain cancer treatment."
"This evening a Spanish judge agreed to free them, paving the way allowing them to be reunited with Ashya."
"Today the head of the police force which applied for the European Arrest warrant, sparking the hunt for the parents, said the family’s separation was `not right`."
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/506120/Nick-Clegg-s-sympathy-for-Ashya-King-s-parents
