Parker's fit as a fiddle

SANDY — Parker Jensen spent this summer doing what many 13-year-old boys in Utah do: He rode bikes with friends, downed his share of fast food, went to Scout camp and tried to earn money for the upcoming snowboard season.

And according to his parents, he'll return to Churchill Junior High next week in perfect health, "just like a year ago."

Parker Jensen was headed back to school a year ago when his health became the business of state child welfare workers and a national news story. His parents were accused of kidnapping him to avoid treatment for a rare form of cancer — his father spent time in jail — and the case ultimately became a landmark in an ongoing fight between state child protection agencies and parental rights groups.

A small growth found under his tongue tested positive in May 2003 for Ewing's sarcoma, an aggressive cancer that doctors say can reappear and spread rapidly. The Jensens said then and said again Tuesday that the growth, which an oral surgeon removed, was a blocked saliva duct.

The highly publicized and emotionally charged monthslong custody battle ended in October when a judge accepted the state's motion to dismiss a medical neglect case against the Jensens.

Though state officials believed and continue to believe chemotherapy is Parker's best bet for survival, they concluded they could not force on him a treatment that he and his parents believed was both unnecessary and harmful.

The Jensens said all they wanted was to decide what was best for their son, who they say has never showed any symptoms of cancer.

"We know what we need to do, and we've been doing it," Daren Jensen, 39, said. "It's been that way all along."

Parker sees doctors and is periodically tested for cancer as a preventive measure, the Jensens said.

"We do as we feel and our doctors feel is best for Parker," Daren Jensen said. "He's definitely getting the care he needs."

From all outward appearances, the brown-haired boy with a crooked front tooth looks healthy. Parker said he feels fine and that life is getting back to normal after the tug-of-war over his care.

"I really don't think about it," he said. "I'm just glad it's over."