Ashya King: Five-year-old 'cured of cancer' after parents fled UK for treatment

 
Survivor: Brett and Naghmeh with their son Ashya
Ramzy Alwakeel23 March 2015

Ashya King, the cancer-stricken five-year-old whose parents sparked an international manhunt by removing him from hospital last summer, has been cured of the disease, his parents have claimed.

The boy's family told of his "miracle" recovery from a brain tumour after he received proton therapy in Prague - treatment he had not been offered at Southampton General.

His parents believed travelling to the Proton Therapy Centre would offer Ashya a better chance of survival than the chemotherapy he was getting, and made headlines in August when they took him out of hospital without medical consent and fled to Spain.

His mother Naghmeh King told The Sun: "If we had left Ashya [...] in Britain, he would not be with us today. He was too weak and would not have survived."

Brett and Naghmeh with their son Ashya

The Kings were arrested in Spain and spent several nights in prison before being released. Ashya was finally allowed to undergo treatment at the PTC in Prague after a long legal battle fought by his parents.

Ashya's father Brett said his son's condition justified their actions in taking him from hospital to Spain, where they have a holiday home.

He said: "We have saved his life."

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.

It limits the damage from radiation to other vital organs, such as - in Ashya's case - the heart and liver. The therapy was not available for him on the NHS, although the health service later agreed to fund Ashya's treatment.

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.

The Sun quoted a report from the PTC speculating that Ashya's proton therapy "could be sufficient to sterilise sites of possible future relapses of the tumour."

"Chemotherapy could deteriorate the quality of life of Ashya," it added.

Additional reporting by PA

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