Doctors to Advise Court in Disputed Cancer Case

Two doctors who specialize in Hodgkin’s disease will review the medical records of a 13-year-old girl who is at the center of a battle over her cancer treatment.

Corpus Christi Juvenile Court Judge Carl Lewis agreed to the review in a hearing on the custody of Katie Wernecke, who has been in the care of state Child Protective Services since June.

Under the agreement, if the doctors say that high-dose chemotherapy followed by radiation is needed, the family will withdraw their objections to the treatment. Lewis ordered Katie into state custody after doctors and social workers said the Werneckes were endangering their daughter’s life by refusing radiation treatment.