Mom upset over chemo treatment for son

HOBBS, N.M. (KRQE) - A New Mexico native says cannabis oil has soothed her son's symptoms and kept him cancer free, so she stopped his chemotherapy, something her son's doctors did not agree with.

"I was very surprised I almost had a heart attack when they opened their mouth and said, 'We're going to take you to court and take your child away,' " Sierra Riddle said.

Riddle told News 13 in a phone interview that is what her son's doctors told her after she decided to discontinue his chemotherapy.

Landon Riddle, 3, was diagnosed with Leukemia last September. Riddle said he was put on chemotherapy and radiation as well as steroids and other medicine. She said he went into remission in late November.

"I started looking into alternative treatments to help Landon survive the chemo that was making him so violently ill," said Riddle.

She came across cannabis oil. The Hobbs native who was living in Utah at the time even moved to Colorado where marijuana is now legal and easy to get.

Landon takes capsules of cannabis oil daily and Riddle said it's the only thing that has helped him heal from the chemo and more.

"Landon is in remission. He has been in remission for quite some time now the cannabis is proving to keep him in remission and it has no side effects," she said.

Cannabis, Riddle said, is not the issue here. It's that she stopped the chemo treatments, something doctors said Landon needed for the next three years.

"It's crazy and it's an infringement upon my parental rights that I should be able to choose whatever treatment for my child that I think is the best as long as it is an effective treatment," she said.

Riddle said blood tests prove that cannabis is and effective treatment, but with fear of losing her son, Riddle made a tough decision.

"We're cooperating and working with them," she said.

That means Landon has resumed his chemo treatments for now.

In the meantime, though, Riddle said they are hoping to meet with an oncologist in Phoenix, Ariz. She said that doctor would be willing to dramatically change Landon's course of treatment, including backing off the steroids and reducing the amount of chemo.

All of that costs a lot of money. To help fund that trip and the continued treatment for Landon, a 5K fundraiser is taking place Saturday in Hobbs.