the homeschooled teen was diagnosed with high-risk hodgkin's lymphoma in september.nd her mother asked for second opinion and refused recommended chemotherapy treatment. doctors called the department of children and families to step in. november, a trial court granted an order of temporary custody to dcf which has since helped orchestrate chemo treatments at hospital where casandra remains in agency custody. casandra's mother jackie horton is here in court as her lawyer argues that her daughter in legal terms should be considered a mature mine more which would allow her to make her own decisions. this whole thing she says is forcing the state to do something with her body she simply doesn't want so do. >> my daughter doesn't want to die and i don't want her to die. people out there think that, i'm letting her do a death sentence and i'm not. and neither is she. we are saying, these are her rights. she is are her constitutional rights have been taken away. >> reporter: the state's dcf issued this statement to fox which reads in part, under this circumstances, when the

. >> she has hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer with a cure rate of 80%. her mother hearing... >> my daughter made a decision that she does not want chemicals, poisons, put into her body, does that mean she wants to die? absolutely not. does that mean i'm going to let her die? absolutely not. >> given the curate of hodgkin's lymphoma, why reject the treatment? >> i mean, the point as far as i see it and the legal issue is not why, but can anyone. if she was 8.5 months older, kazzant ra could. you could, i could. that was really the question, was not why, but more the idea that everyone has the freedom to decide about their open body >>> connecticut assistant attorney-general john kentucky said: do cassandra and her mother have a ladies and gentlemen mate alternative to chemotherapy? >> well, they have talked about exploring alternative treatments, and while you or i or anyone might think it's foolish in that circumstance, and maybe it is. but the point is if she was an adult she would. i could explore alternative treatments, i could do no treatment. that's

absolutely not. >> given the cure rate of hodgkin's lymphoma why reject the treatment? >> the point, as far as i see it and the legal issue is not really why, but can anyone. if she was 8.5 months older she could, unquestionably, you could, i could. that's a fundamental long-held right. that was the question was not why, but more the idea that everyone has the freedom to decide about their own body. >> connecticut assistant attorney-general told the court that cassandra and her mother used magical thinking: do cassandra and her mother have a legitimate alternative to chemotherapy? >> we have talked about exploring alternative treatments. while you or i or anyone might think it's foolish in the circumstance, maybe it is foolish, but the point is if she were an adult she could. i could explore alternatives or do no treatment. that's the point i'm pushing. maybe it's a bad decision but it's hers to make. >> you argue that the court should give her control, she should be able to make that decision because 17 states not including connecticut use the mature minor doctrine whi

i'm saying that, my brother died from hodgkin's lymphoma. to the potential outcome here you about we're not dealing with a four-year-old. >> harris, they did force her at one point to start the treatments and her mom said she ran away from home. that is how adamant she is. who knows when she turns 18. can she hide until 18 and make the decision while dcf is out? >> i share that with you, we have someone in our very close-knit friendship family my husband and i struggling with this right now. the treatment is hell, quite frankly. i don't understand, if a mother can make a decision for a four-year-old, why can't the mother make the decision for a 17-year-old? i don't understand the difference. >> they often take that out of their hands. dcf will step in and say you're not acting responsibly in our opinion as parent so we'll take -- >> typically, people for religious beliefs don't want child to get transfusion the government will not let a parent prevent a child from receiving life-saving treatment. >> is this a situation where, because i know

she has hodgkin's lisp -- lymphoma. she and her mom have missed several appoint. s. now she's in child custody -- appointments. now she's in state custody. her mom is calling chemo toxic. >> they're killing her organs. they're killing her insides and it's not even a matter of dying. she's not going to die. she doesn't want to die. >> in a statement released tonight the young lady says she does understand she'll die if she stops the treatment, but she says it should be her decision. the court ruled cassandra's lawyers have the opportunity to prove she's mature enough to make that call during a juvenile court hearing in december and that they failed to do it. >>> honda now facing the biggest government fine ever slapped on a car company, $70 million. the national traffic safety administration said honda failed to report more than 1,700 death and injury claims and certain warranty claims. honda admits it violated the reporting requirements of the law and the company says it is taking steps to correct the problems that were responsible for the violations. >>> sluggish sa

. >> reporter: she was diagnosed in september with hodgkin's. there's an 85% chance of survival. without treatment, most people die within two years. >> the fact that cassandra is a minor does nothing -- >> reporter: lawyers argue that the 17-year-old was mature enough to choose how her cancer should be treated. attorney mike taylor. >> we don't think maturity falls upon us the day of our 18th birthday. not to be flip about it but the constitution doesn't fall upon us on our 18th birthday. minors have rights as well. >> reporter: a court ordered cassandra to take treatments in november. twoof treatments she ran away. the state took temporary custody. she's now confined a hospital and is received chemo. she has the support of her mother who calls chemo toxic and poison. >> what other forms does she want in terms of treatment? >> we haven't gotten that far yet because she was pulled away. she may not be able to have children. it's documented. it's in black and white. >> even if there's a good chance that those toxins might be killing the cancer an

a 17-year-old is refusing to get treatment for her hodgkin's lymphoma.vember the department of children and family services in that state forced her to get treatment after two rounds she ran away from home. we've got a reporter to cover that story. >> ten thousand donations totaling more than $1 million in ten days, that is exactly how much money poured in to pay off the mortgages of the families twoof murdered nypd -- of two murdered nypd officers. >> what these letters say are, one we're going to pay off your mortgages immediately. [applause] >> for the grieving widows of wenjian liu and rafael ramos fighting back tears as they accept more than $1 million dollars. >> those families are going to be changed forever. believe me i know they don't have to worry about making a payment ever. so we want to give that to these two families because they deserve it. >> officers liu and ramos were executed on december 20 while they satin side their patrol -- sat inside their patrol car in new york city. >> heather, thank you. word is the rift between the nypd and m

the 15-year-old was diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma.s a football player and his football coaches are saying he is showing them how not to give up what's with the suit? oh, i had to go to the bank. if you look legit they give you special treatment. seriously? seriously, yeah. the banker dude set up my checking account so if i make one deposit a month, no monthly maintenance fee. special treatment! citizens bank, right? yep. you know they do that one deposit checking thing for everyone, right? and...you got mustard on your suit. actually, it's your suit. one deposit checking. only from citizens bank. one deposit of any amount each statement period waives the monthly maintenance fee. thank you cable. for the slower internet upload speeds. for making me wait longer to share my photo albums. thank you cable, because if we never had you... we wouldn't know the incredible difference verizon fios makes. the numbers don't lie. in customer satisfaction studies, fios is rated #1 in internet speed and reliability, and hd picture quality. get a fios

isis post add new message purported purportedly using audio recording of japanese surviving hodgkin jie goto. >> i'm kenji goto. this is a message i've been told to send to you. >> he goes on to say if jordan doesn't meet isis demand the pilot will be killed. according to jordanian tv a minister was ready to meet a 24-hour deadline by tuesday and release the female suicide bomber in exchange for release of the pilot. japan's prime minister said they are analyzing the recording but they believe it is authentic. he told parliament they are asking jordanian government for help so both hostages are released. no word yet on the jordanian government on this new deadline. >>> there is a new problem threatening airline flight schedules across the country and it has fbi on alert. sense saturday at least 20 different u.s. passenger planes target by bomb threats on twitter. >>> tweets claiming to be from isis may be pranks but federal officials have no choice but to take them seriously. nbc's tracie potts is live from washington. tracie this is causing all kinds of trouble for airlines passengers

. >> reporter: 17-year-old cassandra has hodgkins lymphoma, a cancer experts say has an 85% survival rate with treatment. still, cassandra does not want chemotherapy. >> she doesn't want toxins in her body. >> reporter: her mom backs her daughter's decision. >> they're killing her organs, killing her insides. it's not even a matter of dying. she's mott going to die. >> reporter: the family says they searched for alternative treatment, but state officials took cassandra ought of her mother's custody -- out of her mother's custody. she's now at connecticut children's medical center where she's being forced. >> we have expert advice of physicians who say unequivocally if she does not get the treatment she needs, she will die. >> reporter: this is the first time connecticut will consider the mature minor doctrine. it allows court hearings for 16 and 17-year-olds to prove they are mature enough to make their own medical decisions. >> i think as a 17-year-old, she does -- you are old enough to make informed decisions. >> i would bring the child's -- the child to the doctor. we would get th

. >>> connecticut supreme court ruled today that a 17 year old whose being treated for hodgkin's lymphomaust continue to receive chemotherapy. the teenaged girl known as cassandra c even though she's a minor she's mature enough to make her own decisions. but the state argued the fact that she ran away from home last month proved she's not mature. the court has agreed with the state. >>> health officials in california have issued a health alert for a measles outbreak that appears to have originated originated at disney land theme park. public park officials in california and utah utah have confirmed nine cases. there are three more suspected cases in california. hell officials believe an infected person unknowingly spread that disease throughout the park tour the end of december. >>> the florida developer whose interested in buying the former revel cass soon know in atlantic city has some big plans for that property. glenn straub wants to open a water park there. he's also planning a high speed ferry service between the revel and new york city. it's unclear if the property will continue to

." >> cassandra was diagnosed with hodgkin's lymphoma in september.rs say with treatment there's an 85% chance of survive. without treatment most people die within two years. >> the fact that cassandra is a minor does nothing to diminish that right. >> reporter: lawyers for the family argued that the 17-year-old was mature enough to choose how her cancer should be treated. attorney mike taylor. >> we don't think maturity just sort of false upon us on the day of our 18th birthday, and you know, not to be glib, but the constitution doesn't just fall upon us on our 18th birthday. minors have right, as well. >> reporter: a lower court ordered cassandra to take treatment in november. after two treatments she ran away. the state then took temporary custody. she's now confined to a hospital room and is receiving keepo. the teen's desire to seek a medical alternative has the support of her mother who calls chemo toxic and poison. >> what other form does she want in terms of treatment? >> we haven't gotten that far yet because she was pulled away when we were

. >> reporter: the teen named cassandra has hodgkin's lymphoma which has a high survival rate if treatede state is forcing her to undergo chemotherapy at a connecticut hospital against her and her mother's wishes. their lawyers argued that even though she is a minor, she is mature enough to make her own decisions. >> the basis for that state interest is not that the someone is 17 or 18. that's arbitrary. >> reporter: but lawyers for the state said the fact that she ran away last month after agreeing to undergo treatment proves she is not mature. >> this child is impetuous and is not capable of making medical decisions on her own behalf. >> reporter: the connecticut supreme court agreed with the state and ruled cassandra has to continue with the treatment. her mother spoke after the decision. >> this is my daughter's decision. i think she is mature enough. this is all a big mistake. there are a lot of other options besides chemo. >> reporter: cassandra remains in the hospital with a staff member posted outside her door. her mother is allowed two weekly visits. marlie hall, cbs news, hartf

doctors say chemo to treat hodgkins will becoming ale will. >> 5:23 right now. pulled from the massive wildfires in australia, we're going to show you some of the littlest survivors. >> awe. >> they wanted nothing to do with that ball but luckily their paws were moisture free. >> oh, that's heaven for those dogs. >> monthly unemployment numbers, we'll look at those and a what it means. >> and police have cornered the men now but they appear to have a hostage. that's coming up next. >>> breaking news. french police reportedly involved in a shoot-out with two terrorist suspects on the run. now it's become a possible hostage situation. >> and a local university taking a sensitive topic head on. the new video it's planning to show to incoming fresh men and why it hopes other universities will follow suit. >> after days of clear skies, morning fog returns. in fact, we'll see more cloud cover as we head to this upcoming weekend. that means better air quality. i'm meteorologist anthony slaughter. we'll break down your full forecast in just a moment. >> and unfortunatel

cassandra sees battling hodgkin's lymphoma. she refused treatment back in november. that's when department of children and families stepped in. >> that really ought to be up to cassandra. it ought not to be for the state to jump in and say well, regardless of your decision we think we know better. oh oo she is under going chemo>> now they are living off of welfare handouts. steven beer and his wife are getting more than 3 grand a month because they say their size makes it impossible to find a job. their recent wedding they come in to bathe and dress him. he hasn't worked for five years. >> fighting crime in flight. >> he was trying to get the pills out of his mouth. >> they proved no limit to the community. >> new resolutions would you teller world style. >> of what? >> of strangers. >> the skies safer for thighs police officers. fallen police officer wenjian liu they were unexpectedly called into duty. a drunk passenger fighting with her husband started grabbing pills from her bag and started popping them in her mouth. that's when the cops jumped on in. >> he was tr

a 17-year-old is battling hodgkin's lymphoma.her's support and that is when connecticut's department of children and family services stepped in. >> that really ought to be up to cassandra. it ought not to be for the state to jump in and say regardless of your decision, we think we know better. >> cassandra is still in the hospital. she is undergoing chemo against her will. >>> a boy was reading his favorite book -- a bible -- during his free time at school and then his teacher took it away. parents in missouri are outraged. the seventh grader said he wasn't reading out loud so he doesn't understand the problem. >> i was just reading. i was just reading because i had free time and time to do what i wanted to. >> i feel it has violated not only his freedom of religion but also freedom of speech. >> the principal is saying the school does not have a bible ban and will look into what happened. as soon as we find out we'll bring that to you. those are your headlines. >> thank you very much. outside right now it is 19 degrees here in n

they ruled the 17-year-old can't refuse chemotherapy to treat her hodgkins lymphoma.chemo therapy. without it she might die in two years. however the teenager says she wants alternative treatments. >> i stand by her 100%. my daughter has made a decision she does not want chemicals, poison put into her body. does that mean that she wants to die? absolutely not. >> the supreme court ruled that the teenager is not mature enough to make that decision. she will be allowed to make her own decision once she turns 18 in september. by that time, her chemo treatments are can'ted to be over. >>> a one-month-old boy who is being called a miracle baby will be going home from the hospital in a couple of days. gomez was held december 6th. before his birth ultra sounds showed he had a tumor on his lungs larger than doctors had ever seen before. the first doctor the mother consulted told her the baby would not develop normally and advised her to terminate the pregnancy. but she refused. >> things go through your head thinking the worse. hoping for the best. as soon as i got here, they

cassandra and her family decided against treatment when the teen was diagnosed with hodgkin's lymphoma she wrote an op ed in the newspaper today. this is a continuous nightmare. i want to make my own medical decisions, anyone in my mill situation should already have. this is my liefs misbody not the states. in our studio, lauren welcome. >> thank you for having me john. >> should cassandra be able to make her own choice at 17? >> it's a tough question. not just because she's at 17. there's a lot of different factors at play. one important factor is she's 17 and as teenagers get older it's important to empower them to make more and more medical decisions. so when they turn 18, they have been a participant in thrur their own medical care. an adult jehovah's witness says, i don't want blood product. you have a conversation with them. saying you don't understand, if you don't get this medical treatment you could die. sometimes they say i don't want blood iefnl if it kills me and i.t. considerthat even the before of receiving blood would be so my, the burden to them is incredibly high. to t

non-small cell lung cancer and than most recently in the fall we had two very promising early results in hodgkin'soma. if we have a drug that will potentially show promise in different kinds of cancers, that's very exciting for us. >> do you ever, not ask you about the individual companies, but what happens, a company is running a test and you hear about the test results or are doctors running test and some of these companies we mentioned are using their formulations? >> the way these studies get done, you know it has to go through three different phases right? they start with a small patient population and make as you were it's just safe and increase it and go to a a phase two trial, more patients you're doing it and then you want a random ieszed control scenario and phase three in a greater population. the whole way, what you're hoping to see, obviously, is how well the drug works and second and probably even more important and point how safe the drug is. that's how the drugs at some point get to market. a lot of these drug trials are done within medical centers, a lot are obviously funded by bi

the 17-year-old diagnosed with hodgkin's lymphoma.emo but the state can force her to have what they call life-saving treatment. joining us, now, josh krober is a reporter. how did they make this decision was there a great deal of struggle? >> it was lightning fast. the supreme court heard it they came out they ruled against cassandra and her mom. they said that the court rulings provided ample opportunity to show whether cassandra had maturity to make the decision and the lower court said she didn't. and the upper court affirmed or upheld that decision. >> she is 17 years old. if she were 18 she wouldn't be able -- would be able to make this decision? >> nine months from now nine, we wouldn't be here. they can make that decision for the most part. but the decision of whether she was a mature minor kind of a rare doctrine in the face of treatment. without it she dyes with it, 85% survival. they moved in and took custody. >> the doctor testified in earlier hearings apparently that she would have an 85% to 85% survival. she has said she

these inhibitors showed promise in hodgkin's disease, kidney cancers, melanoma and nonsmall cell lungcancer. >> i want the go into the next one carefully. let's talk about e-cigs. i know the fda is considering regulating them as a tobacco product. >> yeah. >> that has a lot of people up in arms. where is this going in the coming year? >> why sitis it important that the labeling is a tobacco product? it allow it is fda to have more control over the product. that translates into being able to conduct the appropriate well designed placebo trials et cetera to determine whether or not e-cigarettes are safe. more importantly, now labeling has to include the percentage of the nicotine. it will also include the other content s. in some cases there have been carcinogens found and banning to minors. >> i guarantee in 2015 we won't end the debate as to whether these are healthy alternatives. >> i'm not sure we will. >> or a gate way to discovery. natalie, thank you so much. >> thank you so much. >>> carson had a late night on oh tv. tamron is in for him this morning. tamron good morning. >> hey,

. >>> a teenager with hodgkins lymphoma. her daughter says she does not want the toxins. >> even if they may be killing the cancer and saving her life? >> but they are also killing her body and her insides. it and it is not even a matter of dying. she is not going to die. >> after just two treatments, cassandra ran away from home. she was found and placed into protective custody. her family filed an appeal with the state supreme court. justices will begin hearing arguments tomorrow. >>> trends now, why some food irregularities have mcdonalds apologizing. >> and turning human waste into drinking water? >> what you need to know about cold weather. >> you need to dress for the windchills feels like nine below downtown. we will come back we thought our cable internet was fast. but, our uploads are half the speed of our downloads so our internet is really half-fast. so half-fast. someone did a half-fast job posting our vacation pics. stop living with half-fast internet. only verizon fios comes with speedmatch - uploads as fast as

earlier this week we told you about 17-year-old cassandra who is refusing to treat her hodgkin's lymphoma and her mother think the chemo is poisonous. connecticut stepped in forcing the treatment because they say she is a minor. the court will hear both sides today. >> more signs pointing to 2016. scott walker hiring a campaign manager within the next few weeks walker is also said to be forming a leadership pact. this coming as rumors that chris christie will announce his 2016 plans later this month. he previously said he would make an announcement in february and march. texas governor rick perry scheduled a trip to new hampshire next month. details of the trip are unknown but he expressed interest in a presidential one run. >> it is 42 minutes after the top of the hour. you want to be a lawmaker? one state rests as it goes beyond the oath of office. now you could be drug tested. we will explain. >> and this houseboat fire no match for man's best friend. how can power consumption in china impact wool exports from new zealand, textile production in spain, and the use of medical technology

decided the state was not violating the rights of the patient by forcing her to undergo treatment for hodgkinsa treatment that she does not want. the state stepped in when the patient ran away from home after undergoing two chemo sessions. lawyers for cassandra claim she was mature enough to make decisions for herself. >>> recovery crews are hopeful they will be able to raise the tail section late today of the airasia plane that crashed in the java sea. it was located earlier this week. it contains one of the two critical black boxes that could tell investigators what caused flight 8ing ing8501 to crash. 162 passengers and crew were onboard the singapore-bound jet. >>> pressure is growing for yahoo! to buy aol. shares of both companies shot up after a key shareholder urged marissa meier to purchase aol. jeff smith said he's increasingly concerneded with yahoo!'s acquisition of cable companies. and they should focus on acquiring aol instead. he estimates a merger would save the company $1 billion to $1.5 billion. >>> the santa rosa climber facing challenges on the granite cliff. his hand injuri

was diagnosed with hodgkin's limbymphoma in september. >>> it's not snakes on a plane but it's snakes in a toilet. a boa constrictor was found in a toilet at a downtown marketing firm. the building manager said it apparently belongs to a tenant in a in the building. yikes. >>> a delay in what is built as the first smart budweiser vending machine. a team spokesman said there are additional logistics to be worked out so patrons will just have to get their beer the old-fashion way. that's a live look outside the beltway from "special report." we'll be right back. i have the worst cold with this runny nose. i better take something. dayquill cold and flu doesn't treat your runny nose. seriously? alka-seltzer plus cold and cough fights your worst cold symptoms plus your runny nose. oh, what a relief it is. hey! guess what day it is?? >>hump day! hummmp daaay! it's hump day! >>yeah! >>hey mike! mike mike mike mike mike! >>mike mike mike mike mike. hey! he knows! hey! guess what day it is! hey! camel! guess what day it is! >>it's not even wednesday. let it go, phil. if you're a camel, you put

cassandra is suing for the right to choose whether or not she must have chemotherapy to treat hodgkin'symphoma. doctors say with treatment she will likely survive, without it she will die, but cassandra says she doesn't want to expose herself to what she calls toxic poisons of chemotherapy. her mother says her daughter is old enough to make her own decisions. >> that's her choice. it's not my choice. if she wanted to do chemo, i would still be by her side if that's what she wanted to do. >> cassandra stopped going to treatments last year. because she's a minor the state took cassandra from her home and placed her in a monitored hospital room where she is indeed receiving that treatment. you can hear more from her family on the "today" show website. >>> you've heard snaking the plumbing, but how about a snake in the plumbing? a story to make you want to hold it. >> yeah forever. >>> and rescuers worked fast to save a dog who fell through the ice. >>> and most of the nation right now dealing with icy conditions. california dreaming we're at 57 degrees in san jose. 4 degrees, meanwhile, in

. >> reporter: the doctor's diagnosis for the vivacious then 16-year-old was hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer. >> it's a big deal, but it's not a big deal to me because i know i'll get through it. i've always had a positive attitude since the beginning. >> reporter: since her diagnosis andrea had to undergo chemotherapy which meant no school, no cheering. >> i miss my friends and sitting at lunch with them and talking with them and complaining about school with them. >> reporter: friends want allow her to miss out on much. when she was admitted to the hospital with a high fever, one of the worst times ofher illness, it was during homecoming. so they took homecoming to her. one of her best times? the purple night as she calls it. >> oh, my god, that felt amazing. >> reporter: purple balloons, a purple banner of support. >> the whole game went normally until i think around halftime. >> reporter: that's when the highly skilled squad did a very basic stunt. >> i go up and then everybody starts cheering in the stands and they take their shirts off and they have purple shirts under, which

she must continue receiving treatment against her will. 17-year-old cassandra has life-threatening hodgkin's lymphoma. chemotherapy could give her an 85% survival rate but she considers chemoo in her words, toxic poison. it has received national attention because of the legal and ethical issues raised. her mother says she is mature enough to refuse treatment. >> it's very serious, and my daughter does not want poison in her body. this is her constitutional right as a human being. >> reporter: the connecticut supreme court disagrees with that. cassandra has been under state custody since last month. investigators said her mother allowed her to miss doctors appointments and medical tests. the court's ruling means cassandra will continue to receive chemo. >> this weekend is the nbc 4 health and fitness expo and there are lots of activities to help you get healthier this year as well as some special guests. meredith vieira will be there to answer your questions saturday at noon. also sin theecynthia balely from the real housewives of atlanta sunday at 11:30. find the latest information and sched

. >> he started shark fishing in 1991 after he was diagnosed with non-hodgkin's lymphoma. >> i didn't think i was going to last longer so i wanted to have fun. i didn't care what was going to happen to me. i was going to die anyways. >> he survived cancer and kept on shark fishing. on board the boat, they joke about the danger. >> don't put your hand in the water. he's going to love you. >> when we go out fishing, we were joking about how dangerous it is. and nothing ever happened. so it's easy to joke about it when you don't really experience it. >> where'd that shark go? >> he's not going anywhere. >> he's waiting for someone to fall off. >> just before taking a turn at the reel, deambra was joking with his friend steve. >> i said to him, steve, be careful. >> i heard about a guy who went over and they never found him. >> and we all laughed. and i was the next one up. >> deambra sets up with a harness that resembles a big leather belt. the butt of the fishing rod sits in a plastic cup that hangs down between his legs. it is then attached to the harness with two clamps. >> they don't

begins in 2012 when sean recchi-- then 42, father of two-- was diagnosed with cancer, stage four non- hodgkin'soma. >> sean recchi: i have two young children. you know, i want to see them get married. i want to see my grandchildren you know. too early. >> stahl: stephanie was determined to get him to m.d. anderson in houston, one of the premier non-profit cancer centers in the country. but because their health insurance policy was solimited they had to pay up-front-- first, $48,900 for the evaluation, then more for the actual treatment. >> stephanie recchi: they told me that we would have to give them another $35,000 to get him... to get chemo. >> stahl: did you have the money? >> stephanie recchi: i didn't. my mother did. >> stahl: your mother had to give you the money? >> stephanie recchi: yes. i just kept thinking in the back of my mind, "there's a mistake and we'll work it out. i just have to get him there and i have to get him better." that was my main concern. >> stahl: when sean was sick they felt vulnerable and scared. like most people in that kind of crisis, they never once asked what

she has hodgkin's lymphoma and does not want treatment.th therapy. she doesn't want it because she doesn't want to be exposed to toxic poisons. her mother supports her. they are fighting for her right to choose her own medical care. since november a month after she was diagnosed with cancer and refused chemo, her mother lost custody and a judge turned all medical decisions over to the department of children and families. her mother told steph 18 goss she should be allowed. >> this is her body. she should be able to do whatever she wants to try to do. >> what about the cancer? >> cans is not curable is what i tell people. it's a treatment. it's not curable. >> but if she lives longer because of it? >> but this is her choice. >> the law said she can't make that decision until she turns 18. that won't happen for nine more months. what does your gut tell you. should she be allowed to refuse chemotherapy? that does it for this edition of "news nation." up next "andrea mitchell reports." unique set of nutrients. that's why there's ocuvite to hel

>> reporter: cassandra has hodgkin's lymphoma.survival if treated with chemotherapy. cassandra calls chemo toxic.. her mother says her 17-year-old is mature enough to receive treatment. >> it's very serious. and my daughter does not want poison in her body. this is her constitutional right as a human being. >> reporter: but according to the court's ruling thursday it's not. cassandra has been under state custody since last month after investigators said forton allowed her sick daughter to miss doctors appointments and medical tests. the justice decided that cassandra is not yet ready to make critical health decisions on her own. >> after cassandra represented to the trial court under oath that she would undergo treatment she ran away from home and stopped treatment. >> forton was emotional after the ruling. >> she knows i love her and i'm going to keep on fighting for her. >> reporter: the court's ruling means cassandra will continue to receive the chemotherapy she doesn't want. it's expected to take six months. cassandra turns 18

ten grueling rounds of chemotherapy and all of the side effect, as he battled beckett's knowledge hodgkins aggressive form of cancer? migraines, not able to move or talk and being on the morphine, just for like four days, that was awful. >> through it all michael maintained his sense of humor even serenading nurse with a ukalalee. >> and that sort of personality helped drive friends at school and beyond, to cheer him on. you can sigh across the court player on springfield the opposing team, also, gave him a standing ovation. >> you don't choose to have cancer. you choose how to deal with it. >> and for the first time since he was diagnosed this summer after having symptom pains during football practice, scans and biopsies show michael has no signs of cancer. and he has just three round of chemotherapy left. through it all michael learned to appreciate night like this where he could just hang out and be a kid. >> but like the little he is things now mean so much more because of what i had to go through. >> he is a young kid. 's ninth grade boy who is battling but, you know, he is teaching u

the case centers around a 17-year-old named cassandra who refused chemo for hodgkin's lymphoma with hers support but the state stepped in and forced her to receive the treatment. her attorney says the state is overstepping its bounds. >> this is not a negligent refusal to provide care. this is a choice. cassandra and her mother are asking that that choice be respected. >> cassandra underwent two chemotherapy treatments, then ran away from home and refused to continue treatments. she has been living at the connecticut children's medical center and forced to undergo chemotherapy for about three weeks. >>> federal mediators have agreed to join labor talks that affect west coast ports including the port of oakland. sky 7 hd shows the port earlier today. labor negotiations between the pacific maritime association and the international longshore and warehouse union have dragged on for months. the contract between the two sides expired in july. the conflict has resulted in a slowdown and is a reason why many ships are at bay off the oakland port. not yet clear when or where the two sides will

she's 17-year-old her name a cassandra back in september she got the diagnosis of hodgkin's lymphoma. it clear to her mother she did not wanting to through chemotherapy. she wanted to look into alternative treatments as a result she missed several doctors appointments so the state stepped in and forced her to have chemotherapy. this is what her mother had to say. >> my daughter doesn't want to die. i don't want her to die. so people out there think that i'm letting her do a death sentence and i'm not. neither is she. we are saying, these are her rights. these are her constitutional rights that have been taken aw away. >> the state officials violating cassandra's rights? on thursday, the connecticut supreme court ruled in on this one and said no. joining us by skype to give us a legal perspective on all of this one attorney heather hanson. heather g morning. good morning, karen. >> let's break this down. why did the supreme court say no? why are her rights not being violated? >>> well, you know, as you know, children are to be protected by the state. if parents are abusing their childr

the teen identified only as cassandra was diagnosed with hodgkin's lymphoma back in september and shewant to endure the prescribed treatment. cassandra's attorney says a 17-year-old is mature enough to make the decision. her mother supports her but the state's department of children and family stepped in and ordered her mother to comply with the doctor's treatment recommendation. the connecticut supreme court will hear from both sides of the case tomorrow. >> a baby's smile always seems to brighten the room and it did last week at a missouri hospital. alyssa bella bailey was born december 28 and she arrived with her two bottom teeth already showing through. forty eight at a teeth occur once in every two or 3,000 newborns and while they can be associated with medical conditions, in most cases some like alyssa bella they're perfectly healthy. she's just ready for you to put something real on the table to eat. >> 6:27 now and coming up in our next half hour, why california police are on the hunt for a guy dubbed the botox bandit. >> he walked off without paying for his plastic surgery tr

the 17-year-old has hodgkin's lymphoma which is treatable. she was removed from the family home after she and her mother refused chemo and wanted to seek a second option. her mother spoke to reporters after the decision. >> my daughter is old enough mature enough to make a decision. if she wasn't. i'd make it. >> reporter: what decision would you make? >> mine would be the same i don't believe in chemicals and toxins, i'd find a treatment to make sure she lives. >> doctors at the medical center in hardford says cassandra has 80% survival chances with chemo. it was published in obbed and cassandra rites: line lion joining us now is jamie floyd an al jazeera america legal contributor. this is curious. you have the mother saying i don't believe in toxins, the daughter has an 85% chance of surviving if she gets it. what i find curious is in connecticut, a 17-year-old can have contraception, seek abortion, and others without parent position. >> and they have the mature minor doctrine. if a court finds a minor is mature enough to make her own decis

. >> she says it's her 17-year-old daughter cassandra's choice to treat her hodgkin's lymphoma with chemotherapyd be a choice she has when she's 18 and an adult. >> even though they may be killing the cancer and saving her life? >> but they're also killing her body, her organs her insides. and it's not even a matter of dying. she's not going to die. >> but the reality is that she is fighting a deadly disease and so whether chemo or something else she's ultimately going to have to take some step to fight this disease. >> she will, but she should have the choice herself. >> reporter: the family searched for alternative treatments and second opinions but the judge ordered cassandra to undergo chemotherapy. after just two treatments she ran away from home. the connecticut department of children and family services placed ka sap draw into protective. >> the state of connecticut. >> right. >> and they're now forcing her to have chemo. >> without me standing at her side while she's getting sick losing her hair throwing up. this is not right. >> we really do have the expert testimony, the expert advice

doctors are saying if she gets the treatment she needs, this chemotherapy, she can survive this hodgkinsthe state is making a mistake here because we're talking about a 17-year-old. i think you have to look at these cases on a case-by-case basis. she's mature she's expressed her opinion -- that she does not want chemotherapy -- and i think the state should obey her wishes and avoid giving her the chemotherapy. i mean, she turns 18 in september, and so, you know, she's almost an adult almost able to make that decision for herself, and i think she should be martha: yeah. but, you know, maybe if she has this treatment i heard peter johnson jr. speak about this so movingly last week on "fox & friends." he had the same disease, the same cancer as a teenager, and he says he believed he was going to die, and his parents thought that was a very real possibility as well, but the treatment saved his life and he is now a grown man with a family and children. so maybe the time that it takes her to turn from 17 to 18 in september may be crucial in her changing her mind about this, brian. >> well, i t