This little boy stricken with brain cancer was at Hospital in Southampton, UK. His parents heard about Proton Therapy in Prague, Czech Republic and were worried that the NHS Southampton Hospital was not using up to date treatment (causing less damage and side effects than conventional radiotherapy). They wanted to take him to Prague for the best available treatment and the parents were prepared to sell their house in Spain to pay for the treatment (not covered by the NHS).
When the parents took their son out of the Hospital, the Southampton Hospital had the parents arrested when they were abroad and put into prison! (and were separated by the Police hundreds of miles away from their son)
There was a public uproar and eventually, a British Judge freed them and then the family were allowed to travel to Prague. The Prague Proton Therapy Centre (PTC) offered to treat the little boy without charge and later, the NHS were shamed into finally offering to pay for Proton Beam Treatment.
In today's papers, it is reported that the cancer has been eliminated. Obviously, time will tell, but had the little boy been left to UK doctors, one wonders if he would be as he is now, bearing in mind that radiotherapy can cause damaging side effects to healthy parts of the brain.
