In September, they brought him to Salt Lake City for treatment with alternative medicine, but that practitioner said the boy was too ill and sent the family to Primary Children's Medical Center. He was admitted, and his condition continued to deteriorate. In mid-October, doctors at Primary said that his tumor had grown so large it broke through the base of his neck, cutting off blood to his brain and effectively killing him.

Two doctors in separate protocols determined that Jesse met the criteria for brain death, but the Koochins continued to hope for a miracle.

His family called local news media outlets to get publicity to prevent the hospital from removing life support, while hiring lawyers to seek the restraining order.

When asked on Friday about any further legal action regarding Primary Children's Medical Center, Schmidt said she could not discuss it now but added, "Our clients have talked to us about it."

Schmidt said she didn't think this was a tug of war determining who was right or wrong but rather a chance for a family to give medical care to a child in the way they thought was appropriate and, in the end, say goodbye in a manner that gave some closure and peace of mind.

The family plans to maintain the Web site they put up telling Jesse's story www.jessekoochin.com. They're also involved with an education effort at www.basecamp.org.

"Through all this, we've learned a little bit about the cancer he had," said Koochin. "We'll want to share the information with others."

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E-mail: lois@desnews.com