A judge has rejected a mother's legal bid to end her son's chemotherapy.

Nicholas Gundersen, 13, has a rare form of leukemia. Although he's in remission, doctors say he still needs chemotherapy for several years to ward off a more aggressive form of cancer.

His mother, Candace Gundersen, lost custody of the boy after resisting the treatment plan set by doctors. She wants him to undergo alternative treatments.

“If it wasn't so harmful to my son I wouldn't have a problem with it but the fact that it is so damaging to his body, it's very serious,” she says.

The Suffolk mother says they'll be back in court on Monday with a new motion.

A custody hearing is also set for next month.