I am glad the child is ok and I believe this does show why the father should not have custody. However, in other cases, I get tired of seeing a parent, mostly men, not be able to have any contact with their children. If they are not violent toward the children, nor have any drug or criminal related issues, there is never a reason to keep a child from either parent.

After a check of the local media, it was found out that this father had no such issues, but was not allowed any contact with his son. This man did not help his cause, but I have seen these type of situations make both men and women crazy after being denied access to their children. It is a shame and needs to stop. This idiot blew his chance though.

I am glad the boy is ok and before anyone takes a shot at me, I am not one of those people. I have full custody of my children, who have very minimal contact with their mother, and sometimes I feel bad for her and even have tried to accomodate her when possible, for the reasons I stated above.

I don't think any parent, without VERY good reason, should ever be kept from their child. But taking them, especially one with that serious of a disease, is never a good option. And he couldn't have known anything better than a transplant, cardiomyopothy is a disease where the heart deteriorates. My father in law had a transplant for the same disease. They don't know much about the disease or how to stop the deterioration, transplant is the only option once the deterioration reaches a certain point and there's nothing to stop it deteriorating. So the father was very much endangering his child.

Adam: fruit juice that will repair his heart? You my friend have had too much juice it has made you nutty.

I get the impression from the article that the mother and father were together at the hospital and that the father took off with him when the mother went to get the car. I get that they are in a custody dispute and that currently Mom has legal custody but I don't see that he has lost or been denied contact with his child.

Regardless, his apparent willingness to put his son's life in jeopardy whether intentional or through ignorance, is not going to help him and his actions probably will put his contact with his son in jeopardy as well. I expect this father is going to find himself with limited, supervised visits in a neutral location for quite some time.

Just because you all think you know whats going on, doesnt mean you do. Since he picked the kid up from the hospital, Id assume he knows how serious his sons condition is. MAYBE the mom is a b**** and refused him time with his son, MAYBE he was in contact with the dr and would bring him back when a heart was found, MAYBE he knew a pharmacy where he could get more of the meds his son needs. And MAYBE not. No, it was pry not a good idea to just run off but if it was your sick child being denied you, who knows what you would do. Just bc the dad AND the mom were at the hospital, doesnt mean hes being allowd to see him an other times

I agree with myspellcheckerisbroken.

Not in this case, because the father is clearly wrong since he endangered his son gravely, however, I believe a main reason we see so many divorcing women are murdered is that they act as if they own the kids, or want to use them as a pawn to get more money. So, they take the most precious thing from the man, and he loses it in his despair. I truly believe that if all women "played fairly", many of these stories would never happen.

I never came close to doing that, but I was put through that years ago, and understand the despair.

For the record, I am in no way condoning their actions, just explaining why I think many of these family murders happen.

Kevin,

I sure hope this little man gets his heart and does well.

Not to totally disagree with your conclusions, but I too was separated from my two sons by divorce, and was on active duty overseas when I got the papers. Although it was a bad situation, I never thought once about "ending" my X or my own kids. Only a psychopath would think that that was an option, so only a psychopath would do that. The "fathers" that killed their x's and children were not true fathers. They were only thinking of themselves. I would take a bullet to protect my kids/grandkids, and end anyone who tried to seriously hurt them. That's what a real father would do. Anything less is not even in the ball park.

I believe a main reason we see so many divorcing women are murdered is that they act as if they own the kids.

Kevin - If someone is willing to kill his former wife, then there is probably good reason why he wasn't given custody or visitation rights, and probably good reason why the wife wanted a divorce.

I truly believe that if all women "played fairly", many of these stories would never happen.

Maybe you men should "play fairly" and stop with the games, such as missing child support payments, etc.

I also agree with myspellcheckerisbroken.

My son went through absolute hell during his divorce. His ex-wife accused him of child abuse, of domestic violence, of doing drugs, of drinking... every bit of it found to be untrue, but during the process he had a restraining order against him where he wasn't allowed contact with his children and that about killed him. Once it was all proven untrue she faced NO reprecussions for her lies. You hear a lot of talk about deadbeat Dads, but rarely do you hear about these women who use their children as weapons towards the Dad. She was abusive, both physically and mentally, to their three children. They were 5, 3 and 1 and she would put on a Halloween mask and scare the older ones until they wet their pants. She thought that was just hysterical. The boys are mixed race and she would call them, the oldest one in particular, ignorant little n*ggers (ieven though she is African American parent). When the oldest one was 5 he told me that he dreamed his mommy murdered him and asked me if I ever wished anyone was dead. :( She beat them with belts to the point of scabs - we called the police, nothing happened. She filed repeated child abuse charges against my son with DCF - they investigated him (to the point of questioning the children without my son's knowledge at their school, questioning the caretakers at their daycare, questioning my son, questioning me, touring their home - flushing toilets, looking in the fridge, checking the condition of the sheets on their beds, etc.) and found it to be untrue. The judge was even shown pictures (100s of pictures) of the knee deep filth those babies lived in, etc., but he still initially granted her joint custody. Once she found out that with joint custody she wouldn't be getting any child support from my son she took off and they didn't hear from her for a couple of years. When she came back - after she *found God* - he found out that while she was gone she had given birth twice more and placed those children for adoption, been arrested for drugs and theft, etc. and thought she was going to walk right back into their lives. My son ended up having to spend thousands of dollars AGAIN and this time was granted sole custody and she doesn't even have visitation.

@hub806.....unless you know the whole situation, don't throw stones! Unfortunately, I have been the victim of a "crazy mom syndrome" and as a father have experienced this first hand!!! I have a daughter that I don't get to see even after I was the Plaintiff, admitted paternity, and offered child support. Her mother married a guy in the military and has taken my daughter all over the world and refused, for nearly 7 years, to obey the court order just to spite me!! (I didn't pull anything like this guy, but I wanted to in frustration and hurt.) All I care about is the sanity of my child and I don't want to put her through another court battle, especially at 12 years old now.....so I just sit back on the 'bleachers" in silent pain, praying my daughter knows I still love her and miss her...... Judge not unless you have walked in these painful shoes!!

Oh... and by the way... she continued reporting my son to DCF after she came back and he was investigated time and time again. Finally, they told her that if she filed any more unfounded, vindictive reports SHE would be charged with it. :) Life has been quiet and the boys are doing great. The eldest totally lost his stutter (whe she was around he couldn't form a sentence because of it) and is a straight A student 5th grade, they don't flinch any time an adult goes near them anymore, none of the boys have had night terrors in over two 2 years, and they are no longer terrified of Halloween. :) Life is good and my angels know they are loved and cared for now.

Jamie-2626566 - my heart goes out to you. If you have a Court Order that allows you contact and visitation with your child and your ex's new husband is in the military, contact his commanding officer or the closest military base to where you live. Make a few phone calls and it shouldn't be hard to find out what unit he is in and the commanding officer of that military base. They don't play games in the military with stuff like this. He may not be named in the Court Order, but he is still responsible for her actions and they will crawl up his butt over it. As a miltary dependant, she will be held accountable to them as well.

Best of luck to you!

MSG(retired), I am not saying that I ever considered it either.

scales67,

If someone is willing to kill his former wife, then there is probably good reason why he wasn't given custody or visitation rights, and probably good reason why the wife wanted a divorce.

First, if a wife or husband wants a divorce, get a divorce...simple. Just don't make the kids a pawn.

As for your second conclusion, it is simply bogus. The courts are RIDDLED with great fathers, who are shafted by divorce courts. If you take that as a given, I do believe that anyone can be pushed to the brink. Again, not that I even considered this, I was a TOTALLY different person once my ex basically stole the baby. For over a month, I slept for all of two hours a night, and fell into a deep depression, that only medication saved me from taking my own life. Many of you do not take this phenomenon into account. They may be so different psychologically after, and do things they might never have considered otherwise.

Your last point about child support, is irrelevant to my point since that is after the issue that I discussed. That said, I believe every father should support their children, financially, and emotionally if that is not stolen from them. For the record, I have my daughter over 75% of the time now, and STILL pay $6,000/year in support, although I do hope THAT injustice will finally end sometime soon.

This may become one "traumatized" child who will need help later; poor kid. Born with a weak heart, parents don't love each other anymore, they are fighting over him, he gets kidnapped, police are involved, heart transplant on the horizon, and the list could go on. It's the children for heaven's sake! Have mercy! And to top it off, the dad may have done what he did because in his mind he "loves" the child! May this child fare well!

And yet I'm willing to bet that every single one of you who is advocating for visitation rights for all biological parents would also be the first to condemn the police and the court system for allowing Josh Powell to continue having contact with his sons. AND HE MURDERED THEM.

As has been stated over and over and over, again, by each and every one of you: we do not know everything in this case. If this father didn't have visitation rights with this child there is a reason and a d@mned good one. If nothing else none of you need to look any farther than the fact that this man was willing to kidnap his son from a hospital knowing full-well that the child is in dire medical straits and could have died. Cardiomyopathy is a very serious condition as evidenced by the child's need for a heart transplant imminently.

Regardless of all your sob stories and outrage the courts took this step for a reason and I, for one, would rather his access to his children be curtailed or terminated until such time as all state agencies and oversights involved deem him to be a safe, sane and stable influence on them.

When you have children it is time to grow up! Stop thinking only about yourself and what you want and think about what is best for the child. Evidently, this is not the case with this so-called "father" and "grandmother". I do not understand why adults think they are the ONLY ones with rights! Children have the right to spend time with BOTH parents, EXCEPT when one or both show themselves unfit. This idiot and the female who raised him showed NO REGARD for this child. They are lucky the little boy didn't get worse and didn't miss his opportunity for his transplant.

According to the law, visitation and child support are entirely unrelated. A father could never pay a dime in child support but legally he is still entitled to visitation according to the original custody arrangement. I am not condoning any man not paying child support but you see family courts prosecuting men all the time for not paying child support but when was the last time you saw a woman in court because of denying visitation? I have had a number of male friends in this situation. Their ex decides to "move on" with her life, find a new man, move out of the area, and suddenly the guy never sees his kids because she "can't afford the gas", "other things came up and she can't make the drive", or worse, she changes her number and won't even tell her ex what it is. These are men with no past of abuse or ANY reason not to see their kids (they also were not behind on child support). One guy I know decided make the drive himself (which was not part of the arrangement when she chose to move 2-1/2 hours away) only to have her refuse to let the kids leave the house while they cried in the window to see their dad. He called the police but because they didn't know the legal custody setup they wouldn't get involved other than to tell him to leave because he was causing a disturbance.

I've known 3 different men that have called the courts to help enforce visitation and were told they would have to hire a private attorney. Meanwhile, a woman can call the courts if a guy is 1 payment behind on child support and they immediately jump to action to get him into court.

These type of women are disgusting. They are denying their children an important relationship in their lives over their own petty issues. You decided to have kids with the guy in the first place. If you don't want to be with him that's fine but you should realize that's its selfish and cruel to let your kids grow up without a father because you have moved on.

I have known men that keep their children from their mothers too. Its not always just women doing it, it goes both ways. Yes even tho a majority of the time its the women, men do it, so lets not forget that. Now whether its a man or a woman keeping their child(ren) from the other parent, its wrong. Every parent should get to see their child(ren) & spend time with them, UNLESS theres a reason they aren't allowed too (drugs, abuse, etc.) Pretty pathetic that PEOPLE like to use their innocent children as a way to get back at their ex. In those cases, all they are thinking about is themselves & they don't think or care about how it affects their kids having to deal with "mommy & daddy's" drama, because one or both of their parents are too immature to handle the situation in a adult-like manner. I couldn't imagine ever putting my son (& soon to be daughter) in this type of situation. In some cases the children end up blaming themselves for what is happening & that can have negative affects on them. Altho I plan to be with my kids' father for the rest of my life, we have already said numerous times that if for some reason things don't work out between us, we would never do this to our kids. We already know that we would split our time with them, now thats only IF things dont work out, but so far we have a great relationship filled with lots of love. Kids shouldn't have to suffer just because mommy & daddy no longer love each other & /or hate each other & can't get along. A parent who truly cares about their child's well being would never put them in that situation, & would never keep them from the other parent (unless with good reason as i alread mentioned.) & to do so just because they want to "hurt" the other parent or for money is selfish b/c they are doing for their own reasons. As for the previous posters who have to/had to deal with this type of thing, I feel for you, I couldn't imagine not being able to see my kids. I hope that if not now, then someday things will work out for you & you can be reunited with your children again. I'm sure it would be the happiest moment in your life. Never give up on them & remember that they still love you even if they can't see you.

As for this man, I dont know all the facts, but there may have been good reason he wasnt allowed to see his son. But I think if they were at the hospital together he may have some sort of visitation rights, unless he's only allowed to go to appointments. Who knows, still what he did was wrong, he put his child's life in danger. What would he have done if they didn't find them in time & the kid's pump went out &/or he ran out of meds & for some reason he couldnt get them replaced?? I don't believe that he "knew something everyone else didnt" as a previous poster said. I think he kidnapped him for his own selfish reasons, he didn't think it thru as to how much he was putting his child's life at risk. Maybe if he wanted to spend more time with him that badly, he should have spoke with the mother. Unless of course again, there is a reason he wasnt allowed too. As for the grandmother, she should have had more sense then to go along with this stupid idea. Kidnapping the child is never the answer, not only does it put them in danger, its not any good for the kidnappee(?), & it puts stress on the child when & if they are found & they have to deal with the police & everything else. I just hope things get worked out as they should here, & that this little boy gets his transplant & has a speedy recovery so that he will grow up to be a healthy happy man.

To AngieS,
There was a lot of evidence apparently ignored about Powell. That said having had my son go thru a nasty divorce with a totally crazy person, you cannot lump Dads all together. My former daughter in law has cried wolf so many times claiming my son was abusive when she is the who was. The court kept him away from his son for weeks. And you know what the DIL's mother did the same thing to her father. She just wants more money so she can use it for her personal things or to give it to her mother. The conversation always goes give me more money and you can see your son more. My son is a great dad and should be the one with full custody. My ex DIL is a great actress having learned well from her sick mother.

To Kevin and Perpetual, and anyone else who has gone through those things, I feel for you and may God bless you all. Even though I have complete custody, I also went through much of what Perpetual has described. No one believed me until my ex flipped out IN COURT, and went after everyone she could. For most of us, we will not be so lucky to have something like that to vindicate us.

Also, I appreciate everyone reading my post and not assuming I was condoning what this guy did. To take your child while he is waiting for a donor is beyond imagineable. I am just saying that I understand the frustration and pain. Also, some of these "crazy people" don't get that way until an ex-spouse drives them toward it using the children as pawns. Most everyone on here recognized that and I am pleased to see that. Men and women.

Since none of us know the real situation, only what the media outlets transmit for ratings, let's let the police sort this out, shall we?

Adam Wiederholt;

You can't be serious. Life giving organic raw fruit and veggie juice? Really? Dude, you need to take off the Vegan rose colored glasses and restart you brain. While good nutrition is important to good health. It won't regrow or save a badly failing heart or any other organ. If you truly believe this, I suspect we might read a similar story about you at some point. Cure everything with fruit and veggie juice, who are you Jack La Lane?

Prime example of selfishness. The father so intent on making a point with the ex that he put his son's life in jeopardy. The only person he really loves is himself and his pride. Revenge is an ugly animal that always bites its owner in the butt.

Shanad...I agree with you 100% it is true I have a family member with that situation he totaly pays child support and all the needs for his girl and for hers(before mariage ) and now because he could not live with her and her verbal abuse towards him he just left , we did not know this man was depressive to the point of (hurting him self ) and family ,parents intervene and he is ok now(this are the guys that never put a finger on their woman ) and now she brainwashed the girls and they do not talk to him nor to the grandparents (although they send money for B-days holidays etc.)So the whole family suffers all because this woman .Women likes to take all the credit for everything in front of the children and they trash their father's reputation and the law protects them ,that's why so many children confused and suicidal screwed up world with women's power .I'm a woman, but I never disrespected my man ,the father of my children in front of them . Both parents has to gain respect in front of the children regardless of the relationship .

I think many of you have missed the boat on this one....The Father took him out of state, away from a Hospital that has him next on the transplant list. By doing so, he takes away the opportunity for the child to get the next available heart. If you are not near the hospital, you do not get to be on the list for transplant. The Father knew what he was doing, Hospitals make it very clear what you have to do to be listed. I've had a family member get an apartment near the transplant hospital so he would qualify, he could not live at home and be listed. This Father is either very stupid, or very selfish that he would keep his son from life saving treatment. There is no other cure for this child's problem.

Oh, and not having custody, does not mean he can't visit. That is no visitation. Not having custody means he can't keep the child at his home. And considering his actions concerning his child, I do believe the courts made the correct decision concerning custody.

I think that sympathising with a guy who risked his son's life (and look at him smirk) is decent grounds for the folks defending him to lose custody. You should NOT feel sympathy for a man who almost caused the death of his extremely ill son! It doesn't matter if you were mistreated, you don't know the circumstances, and if he's that irresponsible, the mother probably DID have good reason to have full custody.

And stop with the 'all women are like this' and so and so. Not all women are like this, just like not all men are deadbeats.

My own dad was a deadbeat, my mom didn't have to talk to me about him for him to treat us very poorly, and after their divorce, he refused to pay child support and never wanted to be around us at all. That said, while I have no kids with my spouse, he's an amazing husband and would've made a great dad. And so did my grandfather, who stepped in when my birth dad wouldn't take care of his family.

People just need to pick their spouses better and take some responsibility for who they choose to have a child with. People rarely become vindictive or irresponsible without any warning at all.

Exactly, everyone in here is relaying their own custody stories to this story can't possibly think their situations are parallel to this one involving a seriously ill child... apples to oranges. I don't care what your issues are, you put yourself aside for your child, no exceptions.

This little boy is gravely ill. He was being released from the hospital and needed to stay close so when a heart became available, he'd be ready to go. Both parents must have been made fully aware of this on discharge, but the father then chose to take the child to Chicago, putting his life in danger. I feel for both men and women on both sides of the custody dispute, but seriously? This is NOT the time to lose it... you put yourself aside for the health and welfare of your sick child. This father was selfish to put his own needs ahead of his son's and it kind of leads creedance as to why he didn't have custody.

Oh, and if that is his mug shot, someone should slap that stupid smirk from his face. This isn't funny at ALL.

wow ... adults can be real douche bags

thetruthwillalwayssetyoufreee, there is not one person here, who thinks that what the father did is right considering the grave health of the child.

You need to read the whole thread, but it all goes back to this kneejerk comment: "I believe this does show why the father should not have custody" (the first reply).

No parent should risk thier childs health! He was only thinking about HIS needs not the child's welfare!

I know the courts are NOT FAIR when it comes to fathers rights. But parents must act in the best interest of the child.

He needs to be supervised for a while when he is with the child.

as an MD, I am deeply disturbed by the actions of the father. he deliberately endangered this child. no, you don't just walk into a pharmacy and get a refill of the IV meds, you need a Rx for that and most local pharmacies will probably not have IV cardiac meds in stock. if he attempted to go to a pharm or a local hospital the pharmacist would have contacted the prescribing dr in St Louis, giving up the location of the kidnapper---was he willing to risk that? if Stone indeed wanted a 2nd opinion, he would have had to arrange for a pediatric heart surgeon/team to accept the kid as a pt, and arranged for appropriate transportation. it's not Burger King. and as the non-custodial parent he would not have been able to give consent for medical care of a minor. if a donor heart had become available (and these things are not scheduled, someone else's kid died, probably from an accident) young Stone would've lost his place in line if he could not be located immediately, organs cannot last.

as a parent, i tried my best to facilitate the relnship betw my child and my soon-to-be-ex. just bc mom and dad can't get along it doesn't mean Jr doesn't benefit fr/need 2 stable, loving parents. that being sd, Stone Sr's actions show him to be a selfish, unstable jerk. this was all about him, bc it did not benefit Jr, and in fact could have cost him dearly. i'm not seeing love of child here....a parent who loves his/her child would throw himself/herself under the bus for that child, not throw the child under the bus.

@myspellcheckerisbroken, i am so sorry that you had to go thru what you did, but yr kids are lucky to have you. yr compassion for yr ex reflects the kind of person you are.

@teamdirtdogs

Thank you for your kind words, that made my day. Also, I hope the best for you and your family in the situation with your soon-to-be ex. From what you say in your post, it sounds like everyone will come out ok. However, even if things are bad, it still hurts when a relationship ends, especially when there are children involved.

@larissa faith,

I read on some other media outlets that he did not have visitation, but you are right. Normally the orders will always conatin some provision when it comes to the child's health. Very good observation on your part.

Nice, only missing around 12 hours, very very lucky child indeed (especially considering his health condition). Kudos to the law enforcement involved with his speedy find & recovery. I hope his surgery goes well and his dad gets some long hard jail time for this.

No kind or amount of juices, organic or otherwise, can treat cardiomyopathy.

"Treatment depends on the type of cardiomyopathy, but may include medication (conservative treatment) or iatrogenic/implanted pacemakers for slow heart rates, defibrillators for those prone to fatal heart rhythms, ventricular assist devices (LVADs) for severe heart failure, or ablation for recurring dysrhythmias that cannot be eliminated by medication or cardioversion. The goal of treatment is often symptom relief, and some patients may eventually require a heart transplant. Treatment of cardiomyopathy (and other heart diseases) using alternative methods such as stem cell therapy is commercially available but is not supported by convincing evidence. Due to the severity of the disease, treatment requires the use of numerous chemicals and drugs, which have to be taken for the rest of the patient's life."

My guess is they have tried whatever other treatments are appropriate for his kind of cardiomyopathy without success and are left with heart transplant as their only option. Believe me as a parent if juice was a credible treatment it would have been first on the list. But it's not.

Adam.....can you be any more of an idiot.

If there is a juice that can cure this disease, why aren't scientists and doctors using to treat patients? Unless the father is the only person who knows, but I somehow doubt it.

adam still convinced that juice will cure it huh?? I'm sure if that was the possible the doctors would have tried it. The father doesn't strike me as the type of person to know something the doctors don't, or like he would be able to figure that out himself. Plus, if for some reason he knew something like that, kidnapping still isn't the answer, he could have talked to the doctors & mother & filled them in. Also, what if thats what he was doing & the "juice" didn't work, what would he have done then knowing that he was in trouble for kidnapping?? or what if the "juice" just made his son worse?? If juice was the cure for something like that, I'm sure the doctors would have already been there done that & this little boy would be cured/healthy by now. I think if youre going to condone this kidnapping, you should probably come up with a better defense then "maybe he knew juice would cure his son."

Adam, one of the symptoms of cardiomyopathy is a severely enlarged heart muscle that is somewhat flabby and weak. If you know of a juice or an herb that will cure this, PLEASE let someone in the medical field know! So many lives could be saved, and you would be a hero!

Hmm, juice may or may not cure heart disease but it apparently doesn't do much for brain function.

Adam Wiederholt - I understand what you are trying to say here... However, would it have been better for the father to actually 'give juice???" to his son while he was already in the care of medical professionals?

Yes, the body can truly do remarkable things that the scientific community/medical community cannot answer, but in this case... it's very clear the child should never have been removed from the care he was receiving. This is child endangerment at it's finest.

Let's not forget about granny... she basically drove the getaway car and she's as guilty as he is.

So sad that the disagreement between the parents put the child's life in jeopardy. He took the child out of the hospital with an IV giving him life sustaining medications that he could not get for him. Shame on the father for putting his need to prove a point to the mother above what is best for the child. What visitation he is entitled to is now zilch as his actions proved he does not think of what is best for his son. What he did had the total opposite results he was after.

Adam, go back on your meds.

Adam, and your degree is medical practices is from...? Look, nothing except transplant has a slight hope of life.

If the father knows a cure that can stop this, he's an evil prick for not letting the rest of the world know about it. I don't think he's a doctor or scientist, so I'll guess that he knows no cure. I'd take my chances with a transplant any day.

I agree that natural remedies are great and can be used when possible. But Adam, that isn't the way to do things. And seems to me there was plenty of time to use juices when his condition wasn't so severe.

My question also is why you think you know why this father did this? Perhaps someone you love was in this situation and died later, and if so I am sorry. But this situation is not whatever yours was, and although I'm all for using juices and other alternate therapies that are shown to be not harmful, I can't say that taking the boy that way made sense. The boy needs monitoring and medication, and while you are saying others don't know, I would say you don't either unless you are directly communicating with the parties involved.

Adam probably just doesnt like hospitals, or had perhaps lost someone he knows to something like this. He doesn't realize that tho hospitals(doctors) try to do everything they can, they may not always be able to save a person. He also doesnt realize that each situation is different & not every person is going to die due to transplant rejection. Tho it's a possibility, I'm sure the reason transplant has been decided in this case is because they tried everything else possible for this little boy & transplant is their last option. I don't think they would do it just because, & I'm sure they are doing everything they can to insure it all goes in a positive direction. Again, if the cure for this was something as simple as juice or herbs then i'm sure they would have already done that.

ccmnxc

If the father knows a cure that can stop this, he's an evil prick for not letting the rest of the world know about it.

Thanks for the laugh!

That aside, what a selfish jerk!

Which, Adam, would be? His father in NOT a licensed professional for diagnosing these things. If I had a major heart problem, the only place I would want to be is in a hospital. They know what to do more than his father or you. You don't risk your children to prove a point.

Adam, are you a father? I'd be scared for your child(ren). Unless you can find some proof that hospitals don't know how to treat and save their patients, you might want to rethink your position. Transplants have a much better chance of saving people than any herbal drinks.

Anyways, why don't you actually believe in hospital care? That might actually shed more light on your view.

No Adam, hospitals aren't by any means perfect, and I'm sorry whatever happened to someone you love happened. But that doesn't make them all horrible and you have no basis upon which to assume what is going on here unless you know them. You repeat the same things over and over and we get that you don't like traditional medical care. But sometimes it DOES save lives and help people and this time this isn't about you.

I think Adam is definitely trolling- No one in their right mind would keep a child from necessary procedures to save his/her life.

Stop feeding Adam the Moron Troll. If you don't feed trolls, they go away.

We all know now who probably wouldnt be taking their seriously sick/injured child to a hospital. Transplant is probably their last option to save this child's life. I don't think they took one look at him & said "oh lets cut him open & take his heart & give him someone else's". I'm sure they tried everything else they could first. Also adam, youre so determined to tell everyone else they don't know all the facts as to why this father took his sick child, yet I doubt you know all the facts. Regardless of his reasons, kidnapping isn't the answer.

Adam do you know what cardiomyopathy is? Without a new heart you die.

Think you've made your point. . .all 3 times!!!!

He clearly has some "doctor issues" that most likely need worked out in therapy... I'm sorry, not therapy, "organic juices"

Adam, are you in the Jehovah Witness Program?

Adam, you don't say that you hope a kidnapping father wont return a five-year-old son. That is just...nerclenti. This is like taking your wife who just had her legs blown off from a car crash and instead of going to a hospital you wash the blood off in a dirty little stream. So then the wounds get infected and she is also bleeding out. Way to go. People like you should have to take reform classes, you get me worried.

You HOPE that the father knows something? Yes, I HOPE that I will be a millionare, but what are the chances of that? I HOPE the father gets the bullet when the son is grown up.

You all need to stop responding to Adam. He is a troll. Responding only encourages him.

I believe Adam is a troll and certainly, doesn't know everything. What if the father had a "secret" fix for his son's heart and the little boy died? He's already in enough trouble and now he'd be responsible for his son's death?

Oooh, what if his father is an alien and wants to take him back to the mothership to try more advanced methods...or there's some juice of a fruit in the Amazon that will magically restore him to health?

Oops, crash! Back in the real world...

Adam has a problem with hospitals and his comments really need to be ignored. There's something wrong with his thinking.

Not only hurt the mom but feeding his own ego ~ there's no other man on earth (I hope) that would pull something like this, just to get custody of his child, without regards as to what the child needs . . . and he needs a lot.

Me too - glad this had a happy ending.

In regard to the child's condition, Adam's comments WERE totally wrong. I can see fruit juice or other types of treatment good for some minor illnesses, but NOT for someone in need of a new heart. Way to go Adam! Jerk!

I believe you believe everything you wrote and you do have some very valid points. However, what he did was not a loving act. If it was, would the law be involved? Even in a custody battle he has rights concerning his child. I must disagree with you, this was selfishness, pure and simple.

That is very naive. The law does NOT protect men's rights, especially custody rights in most cases. You can disagree with me, on the other hand you said I have some valid points. You give too much credit to law and the doctors here and not enough to the child's own parent. Again I am NOT saying all my points are correct, but your statement that this is pure selfishness is not necessarily true, once again without knowing all the facts.

Not making excuses for the guy, but if this guy felt so desperate that other people were making all the decisions about his son's life perhaps, just perhaps he felt cornered. I assure you if it came down to the safety of one any of my children and I felt absolutely certain that my actions were best then medical community or "law" as you put it be damned. I'd rather spend the rest of my life in jail protecting my child then letting someone else make the total decision about the health of my child.

Maybe this guy brought him back because he had a better doctor in mind. Do you know this? NO, you do not. My guess is that probably is not the case but you do NOT know the facts so until you do you cannot claim this is pure selfishness.

Until ALL the facts are known about the behavior of both mother AND father, I don't think you can fairly label this selfishness. I guarantee you, there are underlying circumstances the father has with mom that would cause him to take his son. I love my son. Even if he had a condition, if I felt for ONE moment that being with his mother was NOT in his best interest, you're damn right, I'd take him from her. Then again, I would be doing that through legal channels.

Eric, the kid's heart was failing and his father got between him and the treatment he desperately needed. There's no gray areas here. The father has just demonstrated why he's an unfit parent, full stop.

Well said! People are personalizing this, and the level of emotional intensity seems to interfere with objective thinking. Critical thinking requires gathering information, assessing its validity, developing a hypothesis, testing that hypothesis, re-evaluating the hypothesis... The first point here is that there is inadequate information in the article--but people begin filling in the gaps with their own personal experiences (and injecting opinions with no basis in reality...like "organic juices"), and suddenly extrapolating who knows what from who knows where.

Eric and REally guys? This sick child trumps any issue this father has. This is what you do as a parent (or you are supposed to), you put yourself aside. When the child receives his heart and recovers, THEN you go to the courts for your issues, NOT NOW. You don't just take off with a sick child. No gray area here.

Whatever his motives, taking a child with a fragile medical condition away like that isn't smart or loving.

"I do not think you can make the blanket statement that the poor child's wasn't the main concern of this man. "

I and most people here disagree with you. He could have easily killed the kid. What if the kid had become separated from his medicine pump? Do Dad and Grandma have the ability to reinsert the catheter? What if the kid had become so anxious his heart began working too hard? If he wasn't being selfish, then he's so stupid that he shouldn't take care of house plants, let alone children.

If this wasn't a problem, the police wouldn't be involved. There is no rushing to judgment. He took his son right upon discharge to Chicago without is mother's knowledge, and that is not in the best interest of his son. He broke the law.

If you currently have or have had custody issues, I'm truly sorry for you because no one wins, especially the kids. It's bad enough when this kind of thing happens with a healthy child, but when we are talking about a gravely ill child who is next in line for a heart transplant, it is absolutely unforgiveable.

I have never had custody issues, but when one parent is given full custody of a child, I can't imagine that is done without good reason, whether it is the mother or father who gets it. Otherwise, why wouldn't there be joint custody in this situation? According to the article the mother had full custody. Maybe there's a good reason. His actions show a lack of regard for this child, as well as instability. Getting his mommy involved sends up red flags too.