Sometimes, children find it hard to express their feelings. This means parents need to be more aware of what their child needs. These parents did just that, but sadly, it was beyond their control.
At the dentist, they found that he had some swelling in his teeth, likely due to a tooth infection. But instead of getting better, the swelling continued to grow.
When nothing seemed to help and his swelling got worse, his parents quickly took their upset child to a hospital. There, they received heartbreaking news: he had tumors on his brain and spine.
What was believed to be a tooth infection turned out to be a rare type of cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma. This cancer is so rare that it affects only about 55 children in the UK each year.
The first signs of this diagnosis are swelling or lumps that can appear on the body.
“Our world fell apart,” said Ethan’s father, Mark, in an interview.
Doctors discovered that Ethan’s cancer had spread to his lungs and bone marrow. They decided to start a strong treatment plan that included chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
But after nine months of treatment, Ethan passed away at just 9 years old.
After his death, his parents were very upset and called the treatment methods used for their son “embarrassing” and outdated. The grieving parents started a fundraiser in Ethan’s name to help support research.
Mark, Ethan’s father, described the treatment methods as “embarrassing” and said they are very outdated. They set a goal of $62,000 for their fundraiser, and about half of that has already been raised.
“We don’t want other families to go through what we’ve experienced; it’s terrible,” said Ethan’s family.
After his death, the issue of funding research on childhood cancer has been discussed in parliament, which is an important step toward ensuring more money is directed to this area.
If you found this story interesting, check out the one below about a three-year-old who passed away after dental procedures.
A Taiwanese Artist Creates Short Stories With Unexpected Plot Twists
“Exciting. Funny. With some horror, but bright and charming,” this is how young writer and artist, Edd Lai, describes his work and the comics he’s been publishing for 6 months. His stories instantly catch readers who find his work while they’re in search of something different. In his illustrations, terror mixes with humor, and its main ingredient is a surprising ending, a completely unexpected plot twist. Writing is currently the way Lai makes a living. He has written some novels and scripts that were published in his native Taiwan, as well as 3 series of long-running comics for a Korean company.
In an exclusive interview for Bright Side, Lai commented that his main fount of inspiration is human complexity. He likes exploring the differences in people’s lives and discussing how each person’s point of view is based on what they believe to be true and in how they ignore other’s perspectives. We want to show you a selection of 11 of his comics so you can explore the work of this young artist and his peculiar world vision.
1. Team project
2. Knowledge is power
3. A photo
4. At the dentist
4. At the dentist
6. Surprise
7. With the lights off
8. A cup of coffee
9. A costume party
10. Angel
11. Dad or mom
His comics were originally published in Taiwanese and English, but they’re currently being translated into several languages, something that makes Edd Lai very proud and happy: “I have always felt committed to entertaining people from different cultures. Thanks to everyone who follows my stories.”
Which comic did you like the most? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section!
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