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Australian couple treating daughter's cancer with natural remedies

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Tamar Stitt has a rare form of liver cancer, and has been told she will die without chemotherapy

Tamar Stitt has a rare form of liver cancer, and has been told she will die without chemotherapy

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Mon, 12 Oct 2009 6:12p.m.
Doctors are pleading with the parents of a sick Perth girl to bring her back to Australia for potentially lifesaving treatment.

Tamar Stitt has a rare form of liver cancer, and has been told she will die without chemotherapy.

But the 10-year-old’s parents have fled to El Salvador where they are treating her with natural remedies.

“We will never agree for Tamar to have chemo,” says the girl’s mother, Arely Stitt.

“We have seen so many cases, and knowing what we know about natural remedies – they work slowly but it is worth it.”

Tamar was diagnosed with cancer in August.

“It was advanced. We needed to act quickly to have the best possible chance of success or survival for Tamar,” says Doctor Philip Aylward.

Doctors say a seven week course of chemotherapy will give Tamar a 50 to 60 percent chance of survival. Without it she will suffer a long and painful death.

But her parents are devout Christians, and say God will decide her fate.

“I don’t want to lose my daughter, but it is God’s decision,” says Tamar’s father Trevor Stitt.

“Who am I to fight against it?”

The hospital decided to fight the family. In an extraordinary move, doctors asked the Perth Supreme Court to force Tamar to have the treatment.

The night before the case was due to be heard, the Stitts fled to El Salvador.

“We saw this as a threat to take our daughter away, they were going to treat her,” says Mr Stitt.

Instead, he and his wife treat their daughter their way – wrapping her torso with red clay gathered from the hills around their home.

“It’s nothing black magic or voodoo, it is all proper stuff which has been seen to work,” says Mr Stitt.

Another Australian couple who refused to seek medical treatment for their baby daughter has just been jailed.

Gloria Sam had severe eczema and died from complications. Just like Tamar, her parents opted for natural remedies.

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Comments [40]

Erik Bramsen
05 Nov 2011 1:59p.m.

If it's all in the hands of G-d, why bother with the mumbo-jumbo? And if it's kosher to use 'natural' medicine in an attempt to foil His will, why not use real medicine?

citizenX
16 Jan 2010 1:24p.m.

One points for the parents. Chemo is bad for anyone, it kills the immune systems cells...

maria
07 Jan 2010 2:18a.m.

to begin with my deepest symphathy to Tamar's family,it is very easy for others outside of the situation to give their brave opinion,my mother too passed away of the same cancer your daughter had, unfortunantely not even going through chemo saved her life but made her last day much more terrible, it just made her more ill & accelerated her death,really there was no chance she would survive & I regret having allowed my mother going through chemo.
chemo or alternative therapy we tried both,the truth is that she was going to die anyways.
what others don't understand is that it's not your fault, the alternative therapy did not kill your daughter o not going through chemo...please don't allow these negative comments destroy you.I understand all the the impotence you felt and wanting to do what you thought would save her life. in your heart you know that & so does God. may your little angel rest in peace

I know
31 Dec 2009 3:59p.m.

Sandra - I don't know where your info is coming from . Tamar died a month or so ago in el Salvador. Towards the end the mother was taking her for chemo treatment but it was too late. Her death was reported on the news here two days ago - the hospital in el salvador has confirmed it.

sandra
30 Dec 2009 3:00p.m.

no she hasn't died the treatment is working

KAT
30 Nov 2009 3:55p.m.

has Tamar passed away?

M J VV
15 Nov 2009 11:43p.m.

RIP Tamar!!!!!

M J v V
15 Nov 2009 6:00p.m.

RIP Tamar!!!!!!!!!!!

brett
28 Oct 2009 1:30p.m.

If this kid dies then do we all agreed that they should go to jail?

Mandy
26 Oct 2009 5:22p.m.

Wow! my question is why the hell on earth would the parents want to keep track of what other people post on the internet? If - "as they say" are doing the right thing. Then why would they worry what people think. Shouldn't u be more worried about your daughter? I'm amazed as to how many wall posts Trevor has posted in the past. "Sam" and "the truth" agree with you.

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