Audio By Carbonatix
A court has denied parents custody of their 4-year-old son with cancer after the Florida couple stopped chemotherapy treatments earlier this year.
Hillsborough County Judge Thomas Palermo announced the ruling to parents Joshua McAdams and Taylor Bland-Ball Monday afternoon. Their son, Noah McAdams, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in early 2019. McAdams and Bland-Ball stopped the child's chemotherapy two days into treatment.
Bland-Ball could be seen crying after the ruling was announced.
The child will remain in the custody of his grandparents. However, the state does still have the option of returning custody to the parents in the future, the judge said. Palermo said the ruling was not a punishment, but instead done to protect the child.
Instead of chemo, McAdams and Bland-Ball turned to medical marijuana and CBD oil -- the increasingly popular cannabis extract that's sold over the counter.
"He had vicious mood swings, making him violent, making him very emotional, and he also started to lose his hair right away after the first treatment," Bland-Ball said of her son in an interview with "Good Morning America" in August.
McAdams and Bland-Ball took Noah to Kentucky where they sought a second opinion. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office had asked for the public's help to locate the family after McAdams and Bland-Ball failed to bring Noah to the hospital for a medically necessary procedure on April 22.
"The parents have further refused to follow up with the life saving medical care the child needs," the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook. "The parents have possible criminal child neglect charges pending."
The parents were found one week later and the state of Florida placed Noah in the custody of his grandparents, who were ordered in May to resume chemotherapy.
Multiple hearings have since been held as McAdams and Bland-Ball fought to regain custody.
Dr. Bijal D. Shah, head of the Moffitt Cancer Center's acute lymphoblastic leukemia program, said the current protocol for treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia has a 90 percent cure rate for patients who follow the treatment plan.
St. Jude’s Children's Research Hospital confirmed this statistic for "GMA."
Noah has been receiving both chemotherapy and CBD for treatment.
Latest Stories
-
Philanthropist Alhaji FuZak donates Da’wah bus to Ambariya Sunni community
6 minutes -
GUTA calls for suspension of Publican AI system over trade disruptions, demands temporary halt in import activities
9 minutes -
TTAG raises alarm over proposed recruitment of 7,000 teachers, demands national posting roadmap
43 minutes -
Civilians feared killed after reports of air strike on Nigerian market
52 minutes -
Bishop Simon Kofi Appiah installed as new Jasikan Diocese Bishop
53 minutes -
Trump’s Strait of Hormuz blockade threat raises risks and leaves predicaments unchanged
56 minutes -
US Court backs extradiction of former MASLOC CEO Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu’s to Ghana
1 hour -
Seven arrested as NAIMOS dismantles illegal mining camp, seizes firearms at Boin River
1 hour -
Fire erupts at Madina Ritz Junction, destroys multiple wooden structures and containers
2 hours -
Daniel-Kofi Kyereh returns from long-term injury, registers assist for Freiburg U23
2 hours -
Knifeman calling himself ‘Lucifer’ slashes three at NYC’s Grand Central
2 hours -
Brands are built from within to without
2 hours -
Matriculants urged to pursue excellence as gov’t reaffirms support for Maritime education
2 hours -
See the areas that will be affected by ECG’s planned maintenance on Monday, April 13, 2026
2 hours -
GPL 2025/26: Salim Adams double fires Medeama back to summit after Kotoko rout
2 hours