Parents fight for custody, holistic treatments for son with cancer

TAMPA, Fla. (FOX 13) - The parents of a little boy at the center of a battle over his cancer treatment are fighting charges against them in court.

The parents of Noah McAdams, Taylor Bland and Joshua McAdams say their son's health is improving, but the time away from his parents is taking a toll.

"It's very hard for him to warm up to us and once he does he's going into procedures and then it's over and then we have to go," said McAdams.

Bland says their son is still receiving chemotherapy treatment but the holistic remedies they were hoping for haven't happened.

"I think if the best interest is his health that they should allow that option and allow him to come home so he could have the full experience of his parents and the full spectrum of holistic remedies and modern therapies together," explained Bland.

In April, Noah was diagnosed with cancer. He went through two rounds of chemotherapy but then his parents skipped his next treatment and, in spite of being asked to continue, took their son to Kentucky to seek alternate treatment.

They objected to chemo and wanted to try natural remedies for Noah.

The Hillsborough Sheriff's Office tracked the family down and brought them back to Tampa.

Noah was taken away from his parents and temporary custody was given to his maternal grandmother. 

In family court Wednesday, Noah's parents fought to get their parental rights restored.

Their new attorney, Brooke Elvington says they will fight to get Noah back.

"From our perspective, it's simply important that Noah is returned to his parents. He's a 3-year-old little boy going through a very traumatic time and he's very much loved by his parents and he loves his parents. It's important to reunite the kid," said Elvington.

A trial date has been set for August.

This story has been updated to make clear the timeline when the family went to Kentucky and when law enforcement ordered them to return to Florida and resume Noah's treatment.