Ashya King's parents were arrested in August after they removed him from a U.K. hospital against doctors' wishes to pursue proton beam therapy — an alternative to radiotherapy — abroad in Prague. Proton beam therapy is is not covered by Britain's National Health Service (NHS).
Brett King and his wife Neghemeh told Britain's the Sun newspaper that scans now show their son is cancer-free.
"It's incredible news. We are absolutely delighted," Brett King said in an interview published Monday. "It has justified everything we have gone through because things are working out for Ashya. If we had left Ashya with the NHS we don't think he would have survived. We have saved his life."
The Kings' story made international headlines last year after the parents were tracked down and arrested in Spain. They said they were planning to sell their second home there to pay for the treatment in Prague.
The 5-year-old boy with a brain tumor, who was taken by his parents from a British hospital against advice of his doctors, was admitted to a hospital in Prague on Monday in preparation for the specialized therapy that he was denied in the U.K. Ashya King was admitted to the University Hospital in Motol, about 15 miles from the Proton Therapy Center, where he is expected to begin proton beam radiation therapy within the week, according to a hospital statement. Ashya has a "highly malignant tumor, and our oncologists must have assurance that the tumor does not grow or metastasize again," before he can receive proton radiation, the hospital's oncology director, Dr. Jan Starý, said.
Ashya's parents — Brett King, 51, and Neghemeh King, 45 — were briefly arrested in late August after fleeing with their son to Spain, sparking a Europe-wide manhunt. When the Kings were released, they said they took their son from University Hospital Southampton in England because doctors there would not treat their son with the proton radiation. University Hospital Southampton said in a statement that there was "no benefit to Ashya of proton radiotherapy over standard radiotherapy," but the Proton Therapy Center said the treatment is proven to prolong life expectancy and increase the quality of life for patients like Ashya.
Boy With Brain Tumor Ashya King to Get Specialized Treatment in Prague
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Parents of Ashya King, Boy With Brain Tumor, Freed From Custody
The 5-year-old boy with a brain tumor taken out of a U.K. hospital against the advice of his doctors — sparking an international manhunt for him and his parents — is expected to arrive next week in Prague for specialized treatment, the Proton Therapy Center said in a statement Sunday. Experts will convene at 8 a.m. Monday for a final meeting about the boy’s condition, and then he will be flown from the hospital in Spain where he is currently being treated.
Police pursued Ashya's parents — Brett King, 51, and Neghemeh King, 45 — last week when they plucked their son from University Hospital Southampton in England. When the Kings were found with the boy in Spain, they said they took their son because they were seeking a facility that would treat him with proton beam radiation therapy, The Associated Press reported. University Hospital denied him the treatment because doctors determined there was "no benefit to Ashya of proton radiotherapy over standard radiotherapy," according to a statement.
“We just want to help our son get through this bad time because he hasn't got too many months to live,” Brett King said Wednesday after charges brought against he and his wife — stemming from the incident — were dropped. Ashya's parents said they will sell property in Spain to pay for the proton beam radiation therapy, which the Proton Therapy Center said can begin once the young boy undergoes preparatory chemotherapy.
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