Amish boy still doing well, back home

WINTHROP — The family of Eli Hershberger, a young Amish boy who underwent court-ordered surgery to repair a heart defect, is leaving St. Lawrence County.

His mother, Barbara G., said Thursday the family is moving from their County Route 49 home to Pulaski. A for-sale sign sits next to the entrance of the driveway.

She did not give the reasons behind the move, but said her son is back home. The boy will celebrate his 2nd birthday April 1.

"He's doing good," Mrs. Hershberger said.

The Department of Social Services had accused the family of providing inadequate medical care when it asked Family Court to remove the child from the family's home to have the surgery. Family Court Judge Barbara R. Potter in December ruled that the child, who was born with a hole in the lower part of his heart, must have the surgery even though his family objected on religious grounds. The judge ruled that the child's parents wouldn't be required to sign a consent form for doctors to perform the surgery. The operation was done Feb. 17 at Upstate Medical University, Syracuse.

Judge Potter did not take custody away from the parents. She had ruled that the Hershbergers neglected their son by refusing medical treatment for his life-threatening heart condition, but the parents were never charged with a crime. She noted in a Dec. 23 ruling that the parents provided a lot of affection and covered the boy's basic needs, but had "medically neglected" him.

The neglect case could be dismissed, providing the Hershbergers comply with the conditions of the judge's ruling. Those conditions include taking the boy to medical checkups and making doctors aware if there were changes in his medical condition.

The Hershbergers' 50-acre property is listed for sale at $60,000. The property includes a two-story red shingled house, shielded from the road by several trees. It also has a large barn, a workshop and a small stream cutting through the land. The real estate listing says the property does not have plumbing or electrical wiring — a common trait of Amish homes.

The family moved from northeastern Ohio to the County Route 49 property in Winthrop more than three years ago. They lived about 20 miles outside Canton, Ohio, before the move, and came here because of inexpensive land prices, family members said.