In 2004, Jeremy Fraser, of Salem, Massachusetts, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - a cancer with a recovery rate of 85-90%.  And, after undergoing treatment, Jeremy was in remission.

Now, doctors say Jeremy may not live to see his ninth birthday, which is on August 2nd.  The reason why his cancer has come back in such an aggressive form?  Jeremy's mother, Kristen Anne LaBrie, apparently failed to give him the medicine he needed to stay in remission - she neglected to fill half his prescriptions and canceled more than a dozen doctors' appointments.  She was arrested and charged with child endangerment, although the judge set no bail, releasing LaBrie on her own recognizance.

This story has caused quite a stir in the Boston media, with people both condemning and defending LaBrie and Jeremy's dad, Eric Fraser, who now has custody of Jeremy, but wasn't involved in his son's life for several months because of ongoing fights with his ex-wife.  But what I can't help wondering is whether LaBrie would have withheld Jeremy's medication - and whether Fraser would have cut himself off from his son - if Jeremy weren't also autistic, and, according to reports, completely nonverbal.  After all, it's hard to imagine why on earth any mom would fail to give her own child the medication he needed to survive - unless, maybe subconsciously, she didn't really want him to. 

Boston Globe/AP Photos