A boy who grew out his hair for pediatric cancer patients is now diagnosed with the disease itself. The seven-year-old boy from California was discovered with tumors on his hip and around his eye, already battling stage four cancer.
Meet Vinny Desautels
Vinny Desautels is a seven-year-old from Roseville California diagnosed with the devastating disease after complaining of a knee pain, CNN reported. When Vinny developed a swollen eye, his parents initially thought it was brought by season allergies. However, Vinny soon complained of knee pain.
When Vinny's parents check him out, the discovered a lump on their son's hip. This prompted them to immediately seek emergency help. On April 28, an x-ray revealed a large growth on Vinny's hip, which sent him to seek further tests in a hospital in Sacramento.
May God watch over little Vinny Desautels
May your good heart remain strong and see you through this battle
The world is rooting— #ChildrenOfTheRage (@OGMaco) May 11, 2016
After blood tests, MRI and CT scans, the large growth on his hip and eye were confirmed tumors. The family is still waiting for the final diagnosis from Vinny's doctors if he is indeed suffering from Ewing's sarcoma. This is a rare type of cancer that usually forms around the bone or soft tissue.
"We know it's cancer, stage four, because it spread in two different locations and it's aggressive," Jason Desautels, Vinny's dad, said. "Now we're trying to figure out what we're dealing with so we can come up with a plan." The young boy is scheduled to begin bone marrow biopsy and chemotherapy treatment this week.
Vinny's Fight Against Cancer
Metro UK said that Vinny grew his hair until it was 13 inches long, fighting off comments from other kids about his hair. He donated his hair to Wigs For Kids With Cancer.
"I want to help people so they don't have to go to the doctors to fight cancer," Vinny said to Fox40. However, in a sad twist of fate, Vinny is now facing his own struggle with the disease.
Vinny's grandparents initiated a fundraising campaign by setting up a Go Fund Me page, hoping that it could alleviate the financial burden of his parents. Added that, Vinny's parents are expecting another child.
"Our precious grandson, Vinny Desautels, is fighting a battle that no child should have to fight - the fight against cancer," his grandparents said. "Over the next days, weeks, and months ahead they will need to be at countless doctor appointments, hospital stays and surgeries."
