SELFLESS parents are giving their dying son a drug trial, knowing it won’t save him, in a bid to save thousands of other children.
Blaize and Emily Feduchin-Pate were told just weeks ago that their four-year-old was dying from a rare high grade brain tumour, called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), and has just nine months left to live.
But despite their heartbreak the couple have decided to allow their son, Atticus, to be part of a drug trial that could one day save thousands of children in the future.
A week before his diagnosis, Atticus was increasingly clumsy, struggling to balance and falling from his bike.
He also developed a 10p-sized lump on his head, so Blaize, 43, and Emily, 37, took him to the doctor.
Despite their son only having a limited life-span, Blaize and Emily are hoping to raise as much awareness as possible about their son’s rare condition.
Blaize, from Whitchurch, Hampshire, said: “We know the experimental drug won’t save him, but by him taking it they can monitor his progress for the future.
“We knew we had to do whatever we could to save other kids – and if giving Atticus a trial drug is the way to do that, then that’s what we’re going to do.
“Now our only hope is to give him the best of the life he has remaining, and to hopefully save other children in the future.
“We are dreading the day that he passes, but we’ll find solace knowing that he has helped others in the future.”
Just five days before he was diagnosed, Blaize, a stay-at-home dad realised that his son was acting differently.
“On the week leading up to his diagnosis we noticed that Atticus was being really clumsy, but we just thought he was being a four-year-old,” he said.
“He would fall off of his bike and not pay attention when people spoke to him, and even when we saw the bump on his head we initially thought he’d just banged it.
“We took him to see his GP, but they couldn’t find anything wrong with him and just told us to keep an eye on him.
“But when he continued to decline, we decided to call a paramedic and then Atticus was taken to the hospital to have further checks and he was given an MRI.
“The MRI showed the tumour in his head, and that’s when we realised what the ‘bump’ we had seen days before really was.”
The tumour is in Atticus’ brain stem and his parents have been told it cannot be removed safely.
“We have been told he has up to two years to live, but that is likely to be the maximum, and obviously that destroyed us,” Blaize said.
“He is such a happy, well-spoken little boy and still doesn’t know the extent of what he’s going through – one day he can walk and the next he can’t, but he just thinks that’s how everyone’s life is.”
Now, Atticus’ family are striving to give him the best life possible and hope that, by him partaking in clinical trials, they will be able to find a cure for other children in the future.
“Our main goal now is to stop this happening to other children – both through research with our own son and helping to fund further research,” Blaize added.
“We also hope to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity and to give Atticus the best life he can have, however long that continues for.
“He has a little sister, Hemploe, one, who he adores, and we want to give her the best memories with her big brother before he passes.”
A BRAIN TUMOUR THAT MAINLY AFFECTS CHILDREN
A diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma is a fast-growing tumour (DIPG) most commonly affecting children.
They are most likely to spread to other parts of the brain and spinal cord.
The cause of brain tumours, including DIPG, is not yet known.
Symptoms:
- abnormal alignment of the eyes
- weakness of facial muscles
- arm and leg weakness
- unstable balance and co-ordination
- difficulty walking and speaking
Treatment:
Surgery may not always be possible due to the dangers of operating on such a delicate area of the brain.
The standard treatment for DIPG is radiotherapy and is administered over three to six weeks, depending on the severity of the tumour.
Studies have found that standard chemotherapy drugs are less effective against this type of cancer.
Source: The Brain Tumour Charity
A diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma is a fast-growing tumour most commonly affecting children.
They are most likely to spread to other parts of the brain and spinal cord.
Sarah Lindsell, chief executive of The Brain Tumour Charity, said: “Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children and people under 40 in the UK and survival rates have not improved significantly over the last 40 years. This must change.
MORE ON CANCER
“We receive no government funding and rely 100 per cent on voluntary donations and gifts in wills to fund world-class research which will help to drive forward our understanding of DIPG.
“Research of this kind is the only way we can offer hope to families like Atticus’s and end the devastation caused by brain tumours.
“We wish Atticus all the best with his treatment and we hope that he and his family are able to enjoy many more wonderful times together as they work though his bucket list.”
Blaize and Emily and fundraising for The Brain Tumour Charity, you can donate to their cause on their Go Fund Me page here.
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News Pictures Heartbroken parents put dying son in drug trial to save other kids – knowing he won’t live
You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!
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Hayden Panettiere
Size: 8
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Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st
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kim cattrall
Size: 10-12
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SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.
Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NINTCHDBPICT000431459357.jpg?strip=all&w=720
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