Desperate to find help for their teenage son, who was dying of cancer, David and Laura Flanagan turned to Dr. Brian O’Connell. He assured them that he could cure their 18-year-old son, Sean, of late-stage bone cancer by using photoluminescence, a form of energy medicine.
O’Connell claimed he had healed others by using the technique, which used ultraviolet light waves to illuminate a blood sample. The illuminated blood would then be injected back into the body via a hydrogen peroxide solution.
The Flanagans were impressed with O’Connell's credentials, which filled an entire wall in his office. He presented himself as a naturopathic doctor whose unconventional approach was grounded in established science.
Unfortunately for the Flanagans and their son, O’Connell was a complete quack. Their son died two days after his treatment began, about six months sooner than predicted by other medical professionals.
O’Connell was no doctor. He was later arrested for practicing medicine without a license. When the O’Connells saw him being arrested on television, they contacted authorities, and after hearing their horror story, criminally negligent homicide charges were added to O’Connell's charges. He was later convicted and is serving a 13-year sentence.