Poor Neon

First he's born to parents that saddle him with the name Neon.
Then his parents split up.
His mother gets custody of him.
Then he gets sick.
His mother decides she doesn't like the way the doctors plan to treat his brain tumour despite his father being in favour of the treatment proposed.
His mother runs off with Neon and they all have to go to court over the whole business, thus delaying his treatment.

I kind of understand the mother-child bond that would lead Neon's mother to question the treatment the doctors prescribe for him. She wants what's best for her child so she's entitled to ask questions but she has no expertise in this area and, eventually, in a life or death situation - and that's what this is for Neon - you have to depend on the experts.

There's also a bit of me that thinks: this is a person we're dealing with here, not a pet dog or a goldfish. Neon's mother and father don't own him. They can't be allowed to play about with his life chances. He has rights and somebody has to exercise them on his behalf. At least, the doctors looking after him are bound by the Hyppocratic Oath to act in his best interests.

And yes, I have worked with children with life-threatening or life-shortening illnesses: cancer, MS, muscular dystrophy, rheumatoid arthritis, anorexia. Throughout it all, you have to keep telling yourself this is a person in front of you, not a condition. It's awful to be the person standing outside the situation looking in, but sometimes that's the person best placed - like Neon's doctors - to make a rational decision.

Here's to Neon's speedy recovery.