A Suffolk Family Court judge on Friday delivered a setback in the case of a 13-year-old who’s being forced to undergo chemotherapy, stripping his mother of custody and releasing him to a friend who must continue the therapy.

Nick Gundersen is in remission from mixed phenotype acute leukemia and has been undergoing court-mandated chemotherapy at NYU Winthrop Hospital since Oct. 30. He was released to a family friend in Huntington, where he will continue outpatient treatment.

“The thing that concerns me is how this is impacting him because when they take me out of the equation … it’s devastating to Nicholas,” said his mother Candace Gunderson, who can reside with the guardian and her son, but is not allowed to make any medical decisions for him.

Candace had taken her son to Florida to pursue alternative treatment, but was ordered to return to New York by Child Protective Services.