The kid has already undergone a difficult operation and 11 chemotherapy sessions. There are three more ahead. A five-year-old boy is terribly tired of eternal nausea, pain and does not understand why all this is happening to him.
George Woodall has cancer. A rare form. Every week he goes to the hospital, where needles and tubes will again be stuck into his little body. After that, the boy will feel sick, he will get tired of the slightest effort, he will not be able to play with his brother. George does not understand why they do this to him. His parents mercilessly pull Joe out of the circle of friends and take him to the doctors, who give him a medicine that makes his stomach twist and his hair falls out. Every time the boy has to be forced to the hospital bed – George is held by four of them, when he breaks loose and screams, knowing that now he will be in great pain. After all, 11 chemotherapy sessions are already behind. In total, you need 16. There are three more ahead.
According to George’s mother, Vicki, the baby thinks that his parents are torturing him on purpose.
“We have to keep it. Georgie is crying. And at this time you must do your best to hold back your own tears, “- adds in a conversation with a reporter James, the boy’s dad.
At the age of five, he still does not understand what cancer is and that all these procedures are needed to save his life. And not only them. The scar that remained on his body after a ten-hour operation, when a tumor and part of his spine were removed, is also part of his salvation.
The Woodall family nightmare began late last year when George was only four years old. When mom was putting her son to bed, she noticed a bump on his back. She did not disappear the next morning. Mom grabbed her son and rushed to the hospital. George was sent for an ultrasound scan. There, in an almost empty emergency room, Vicki had her first panic attack: was there really something serious with her little boy? After all, he was always so healthy, so energetic – his parents jokingly even compared him to a puppy who needs to be properly tired in a day so that he falls asleep. After the scan, the nurse put her hand on Vicki’s shoulder and told her to prepare for the worst. “We think your son has cancer,” she said.
“I burst into tears, and George did not understand what was happening to me: ‘Mom, don’t cry,” he tried to wipe the tears from my face, ”recalls Vicki.
From that moment on, George’s life changed. His family’s life too. New Year and Christmas passed like a nightmare. It took a little over a month for a thorough diagnosis. In early January, the diagnosis was confirmed: George Ewing’s sarcoma. This is a malignant tumor of the bone skeleton. The tumor pressed on the boy’s spine. It was extremely difficult to remove it: one wrong move and the boy would never be able to walk again. But he was so fond of running!
To help George understand what was happening to him, they gave his tumor a name – Tony. Tony became the boy’s worst enemy, who was to blame for all his troubles.
George’s fight has been going on for 10 months. He spent 9 of them in the hospital: every time between chemotherapy sessions, he definitely picks up some kind of infection. Immunity is killed along with metastases.
“Now we know that children are morally easier to endure serious illnesses. They don’t have a “psychological hangover” like adults do. When George feels good, he wants to live a normal, familiar life, he wants to run outside and play, ”the parents say.
George’s older brother, Alex, is also scared. His only association with cancer is death. Their grandfather died of cancer. Therefore, the first question he asked when he learned that his brother was sick was: “Will he die?”
“We’re trying to explain to Alex why Georgie sometimes can’t eat. Why he can have ice cream and chocolate for breakfast. Alex is trying very hard to help George cope with what is happening, – said Vicki and James. “Alex even asked to shave his head to support his brother.”
And once Vicki saw how the boys were playing a game like Alex had cancer – they were fighting with him. “It hurt too much to look at,” the woman admits.
George’s treatment is coming to an end. “He is very tired. He used to be cheerful and energetic in between sessions. Now after the procedure, he can hardly stand on his feet. But he is a phenomenal boy. He still tries to run, ”says Vicki.
Yes, George is a real phenomenon. He managed to maintain incredible optimism. And his parents organized a fund ““- collect money to help all children with cancer. “Not a dime of that money goes to George,” James and Vicki say. “After all, not only children with sarcoma need help, but everyone else as well.”
Thanks to the boy’s charm and cheerfulness, the campaign managed to attract the attention of real celebrities: actress Judy Dench, actor Andy Murray, even Prince William. The foundation made signature raincoats to draw people’s attention to the problem, and Prince William took four of them: for himself, Kate Middleton, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. In these superhero raincoats, the race in support of the anti-cancer campaign of the George family was also held. By the way, the original goal was to collect 100 thousand pounds. But almost 150 thousand have already been collected. And there will be more.
… Parents hope that their baby will return to normal life in January. “He will not be any different from other children. Live a delightful normal life like all children. Unless he will have to be careful with sports. But this is nonsense, ”- are sure mum and dad of George. After all, the boy had only three chemotherapy sessions left to undergo. Sheer trifle compared to what little George has already experienced.