Dr.: Va. Teen Cancer Patient Improving

A Virginia teenage cancer patient appears to be improving less than a month after he won a court fight to forgo chemotherapy and seek alternative treatments, his doctor said Friday.

"His tumor is shrinking very nicely and he's gaining energy and stamina," said Dr. Arnold Smith, medical director and radiation oncologist at the North Central Mississippi Regional Cancer Center in Greenwood.

It was the first update on 16-year-old Starchild Abraham Cherrix's condition since his family was allowed to pursue alternative treatments in his battle with Hodgkin's disease.

Neither Cherrix or his doctor would discuss specifics about the treatment, but the teen's father said chemotherapy was not part of the treatment plan.

The teen was diagnosed last year with Hodgkin's disease, a cancer of the lymphatic system that is considered treatable in its early stages. He said he was so debilitated by three months of chemotherapy that he declined a second, more intensive round early this year. He has said he thought it would kill him.

His then-oncologist alerted social services officials when the teen chose instead to go on a sugar-free, organic diet and use an alternative herbal liquid treatment called the Hoxsey tonic. The treatment was banned in the United States in 1960.

Cherrix, dressed in bluejeans, a button-down shirt and a baseball cap that read: "Victory shall be mine," said he's feeling excellent.

"This treatment has been working for me," he said. "I've had a tremendous boost of energy."

The teen's family has leased a house in Greenwood but his mother and younger brother remain on Chincogeague Island in Virginia.

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On the Net:

Abraham Cherrix: http://www.abrahamsjourney.com

Dr. Arnold Smith: http://www.cancernet.com/