Parents say Minn. boy will receive chemo

Daniel Hauser, 13, has Hodgkin's lymphoma. He and his mother missed a court appearance last week and left the state to avoid chemotherapy and seek alternative treatments. Colleen and Anthony Hauser told a Brown County District judge they now understand their son needs chemotherapy.

When Judge John Rodenberg asked an emotional Colleen Hauser if she now believes chemotherapy is necessary to save her son's life, she replied, "Yes, I do."

Daniel is scheduled for a round of chemotherapy tomorrow at Children's Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota.

Daniel and Colleen returned to Minnesota on Monday after almost a week. Dr. James Joyce evaluated Daniel at the family's home in Sleepy Eye, and then made an appointment for Daniel to see an oncologist.

That exam showed a tumor in Daniel's chest has grown - and is larger than it was when he was diagnosed in January, according to a medical report read in court by Rodenberg. The tumor is pushing against Daniel's trachea, causing pain that Daniel rated as a 10 on a scale of one to 10. "The doctor is stating in the strongest possible terms that this course of chemotherapy has to commence and commence soon," Rodenberg said.

Attorneys for Brown County Family Services and for the child's appointed guardian objected to the judge's ruling on custody, saying they wanted Daniel to stay in foster care.