This footage has to be seen to be believed.
Tamar, a 14 year old girl from West Australia, was diagnosed with liver cancer. The doctors recommended a seven week course of chemotherapy, after which they estimated she would have a 50% to 60% chance of survival. The parents refused to authorise the treatment opting for a course of natural remedies instead. In response the hospital pleaded with the parents go proceed with the treatment to save Tamar’s life and even went to the extraordinary steps of employing the State’s legal system, eventually being elevated to the supreme court.
The day before the hearing, the parents fled to El Salvador to shack up in one of the worst suburbs of the dangerous and violent country. Surrounded by crazed gang wars where 14 people die every day, the parents trek into the hills for the magical mud they hope will save their daughter. The mother is convinced the red mud “dries up anything that is causing illness in your system”. In conjunction with a herbal tea the parents believe their daughter’s cancer will be cured.
Where do people get such a whacky idea? This pearl of wisdom came from a decades old book the mother’s grandfather picked up in Honduras called “Heath and cures with herbs”. The book was apparently written by a doctor, so the parents have decided to place their trust in it while ignoring the modern day doctors, who have demonstrated scientific data to back up their treatments.
The father, a devotee Christian, trusts God will either take his child or save her (what other options are there). Either way the father will praise God for the decision he makes. One wonders what the daughter thinks of all this.
There is a short clip near the end of this piece where they ask Tamar her opinions. To me it sounds like she was told both options are equally effective, but one made your hair fall out. Now you tell me, what would you do given these options if you were a 14 year old girl?
The parents misguided and deadly faith in the reality detached tome will kill their child.
(Thanks to Godless Girl for the information)
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