Parents of Boy Who Died After Chelation Sue Doctor and ApotheCure
July 9, 2007 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Legal Issues, Treatment
The parents of Abubakar Tariq Nadama, who died after receiving chelation treatment in the office of Dr. Roy Kerry on August 23, 2005, are suing the doctor on the charge of wrongful death. Mawra and Rufai Nadama are accusing Dr. Kerry of causing their son to die of cardiac arrest, as reported in today’s Sentinel. [Go here for the Nadamas' complaint.] Their attorney, John Gismondi, “believes the suit is the first filed in the U.S. involving an autistic child who died from chelation therapy.”
More from The Sentinel:
The Department of State, which licenses physicians in Pennsylvania, filed six disciplinary charges in September against Kerry, including unprofessional conduct and breaching the standard of care. Those charges were still pending and could result in fines or his license being suspended or revoked.
The department alleged that Kerry prescribed an IV push _ meaning the drugs are administered in one dose intravenously _ despite warnings that this method can be lethal. He also prescribed the wrong formula of the drug, officials said.
The lawsuit filed Monday echoes those allegations and the results of an autopsy that showed the boy’s cardiac arrest was caused by a sudden drop in his calcium level. The lawsuit stresses the role that the IV push allegedly played in the boy’s death and alleges Kerry ordered the wrong chelation solution _ one that did not contain a calcium additive.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which also investigated the boy’s death, has said he was given a synthetic amino acid called Disodium EDTA instead of Calcium Disodium EDTA. Both are odorless, colorless liquids and may have been confused, the CDC found.
The Nadamas are also suing ApothéCure Inc., of Dallas, and its sister corporations, on the charges that they “supplied, made or tested” the chelation agent without providing “appropriate warnings and instructions about its use.” ApothéCure is the pharmacy for The Texas Institute of Functional Medicines, which, in regard to Heavy Metal Detox, notes that:
We are aware that many side effects and reactions have occurred and can safely say that none have happened, not only in our clinic, but in clinics where the physician was properly trained. Our pharmacy, ApotheCure Inc., compounds and dispenses thousands of vials yearly.
Who do you believe? Do you trust; can you trust?
Jeff Stimpson
Jill Cornfield
Um.
They said in a news report not long after it happened that KNOWING THEIR SON WOULD DIE, they’d do it all again.
I smell gold digging, personally. Or pissed off ness that, oh hell, the omnibus proceedings are showing, shit! It was never the vaccines!
There should certainly be a trial here, but it should be a murder trial, and the parents should be among the defendants, not the prosecution.
Agreed. The info they needed was just a Google away. They found Erik Nansteil’s Autism Fair Media site and all those crappy Yahoo groups.
I’m very glad that Roy Kerry and DAN! will inevitably come under close scrutiny but the Nadama’s need to take a long hard look at their own behaviour here.
Maybe reaching for some wisdom might’ve been better than reaching for a trial lawyer.
No one’s going to come out looking too good in this.
I do fault the parents for doing crazy and irresposible chelation. Not as much as I fault the Dr who should have known better.
I don’t fault them for having crazy thoughts just after their child was killed and giving voice to those crazy thoughts. When one has done a stupid thing which has resulted in the death of one’s child, the natural inclination is to try and mitigate the injury by denying it was a stupid thing to do.
I hope they do not settle.
What I hope comes out of this is that this doctor calls the other chelation pushers in his “defense”, and they are forced to testify about their own practices, and what is the “standard of care” for chelation. That puts them on record, under oath of prescribing meds that are not recognized as “standard of care” by the medical community.
That gives the various medical licencing boards around the country data which can be used to bar/dicipline the other DAN! doctors for unethical practices violating the standard of care.
I recently called my parents to thank them for not falling for the untested ‘care’ that some educators were trying to push them onto me when I was a child.
I am lucky that my folks never would go for quackery, but I agree with daedalus2U that it is high time that a standard of care is established to protect a vulnerable population from 21st century snake oil salesmen.
I’m wondering: Will this case get the media attention that the vaccine court did?
I heartily agree with daedulus2u (love the moniker - James Joyce or Greek mythology?). Rarely do I advocate suing doctors, but sometimes providence demands such justified actions. Kassiane, quite rightly, brings up a troubling point, but I would hope that the parents weren’t in their most rational states of mind when they made these statements.
How is it the parents’ fault? They trusted a doctor - that’s common practice here in America.
Their son had high levels of mercury, lead, etc., and chelation is the appropriate treatment to bring down high levels of toxic metals.
The doctor used the wrong chelating agent.
Again, how is that the parents’ fault?
Kenneth Bock goes into some detail (without naming the Nadamas) about this in his book, Healing the New Childhood Epidemics.
I am once again saddened to hear of another story with a tragic ending. As a mom, I of course want the very best for my son, ASD or not. I am extremely cautious of “new” or “experimental” treatments, for that reason.
The only recent personal example I can think of is when my doctor discussed essure(?) sterilization with me. I wouldn’t do it because there were no studies of long term effects past 4 years. Anyone remember Norplant?
If I refuse to do things to my body because of lack of research, I refuse to offer up my child as a guinea pig. However, on the flip side, you have to collect the data somewhere…
Kristina- I doubt this case will get the media drama that vaccines and Thimerosal did (and are still getting). It will be blamed on the doctor, not the chelaton therapy. The difference being that chelaton will still be regarded as a “safe therapy”, it was the doctor who made a lethat mistake.
Just my take on it- sorry for the novella!
This child didn’t die from chelation therapy, he died because the doctor made a mistake, which happens every day in hospitals all around the world. Unfortunately, doctors do make mistakes and patients suffer the consequences. That doesn’t mean the treatment isn’t safe or effective when administered properly. It would be great if there were research on effective treatments of autism. Why aren’t there? Where is the government and mainstream medical community in the autism epidemic? Their only response to the autism epidemic has been a lack of response. What parent of a sick child is willing to accept that there is nothing to be done for their child?
There is a lot to be done as far as education, which everyone can agree is something that all kids need.
For those saying it was a medical mistake: Can you demonstrate that Roy Kerry stocked and used any other chelator aside from Endrate?
Orac provides some background about the Nadamas: Rufai Nadama is a physician with the British NHS. These were not un- or under-educated parents.
It’s the parents’ fault for
a) using quack treatment
b) using a quack lab
c) using a quack doctor
d) using a treatment that is wholly inappropriate for the metals he supposedly WAS high in (the CORRECT EDTA doesn’t TOUCH any of those).
DDI doesn’t constitute reputable, nor does any DAN practitioner.
And the whole “We’d do it again” thing kinda reeks of “better dead than autistic” which is at least good for a negligent manslaughter charge.
QED.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO4qi1xk8AY
here this sorry case is referenced
I have been researching this type of treatment for my son. If anyone can give me info or sites to go to i would appricate it.
This is a terrible loss.
Heidi, if I may ask, why do you think this treatment (chelation?) would be helpful for your son? Best regards.
I have only been researching it. I do not know if it would or would not be helpful to my son. We are going to do blood work to see if any thing is going on. But from what i have read and research that type of treatment maybe alittle over the top for me. That is why i was asking for anyones input anyone may have bad or good.My son is three and it has taken me over six months just to decide to do the blood work. Thank for you regards
“It’s the parents’ fault for
a) using quack treatment
b) using a quack lab
c) using a quack doctor
d) using a treatment that is wholly inappropriate for the metals he supposedly WAS high in ”
So then everybody that dies because of mistakes at the hospital or doctor’s office…it’s their own fault…by your logic…because they didn’t check out the doctor or the hospital or the procedure well enough.
Sorry, I don’t agree.
I have known Dr. Kerry for 30 years– I was his pastor– and he literally saved my life by a referral to a Dr. in Texas (where I was living at the time)–for an alternative treatment for severe PMS–Dr. Roy Kerry is a wonderful, kind, caring man, who loves God and has been willing to go the extra mile to help people– He is a loving father and grandfather-
who would never deliberately hurt anyone–I believe that accidents happen all the time in life and certainly in the medical field as well– an accidental treatment with the wrong medication happens every day in probably every hospital in the country–as tragic as this terrible event is– it does not equate to murder or manslaughter– and the ruination of one’s life and career– Dr. Kerry is one of most caring and ethical men in any profession–and although I have not spoken with him- I know that his tender heart must be devastated at the tragic loss of this little boy–All parties are in our prayers– sincerely– Rev. Lois Saltsman