Around Christmas 2015, Alex Goodwin, now 9 years old, started struggling to walk. Concerned, his parents brought him to see doctors, but they didn't think it was anything serious.
By April 2016, Alex could no longer walk on his own, instead using crutches to help. He had lost strength in his right leg and couldn't support his body weight on his own anymore.
As the pain in his joints and muscles got increasingly worse, doctors continued to misdiagnose and dismiss Alex's case.
Finally, in June 2016, Alex was diagnosed with cancer, specifically Ewing's sarcoma.
According to the JustGiving page set up by Alex's father, Jeffrey, "Ewing Sarcoma is a rare type of bone cancer that affects children. Fewer than 30 children in the UK develop Ewing's Sarcoma each year."
Not only was Alex's diagnosis rare, it was also revealed that the cancer had progressed to an advanced stage. Alex's only chance of survival was getting a lifesaving surgery in which his thigh bone would be removed — but the surgery could only be performed in America.
On Tuesday, January 10, 2017, Alex was finally wheeled into surgery at the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City. And on Wednesday, his family got the news they were waiting for: the cancer was out.
Alex isn't quite at the end of his journey yet — he still needs to undergo a specific kind of radiotherapy, but his parents are finally convinced that Alex will make it through.
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[H/T Daily Mail]
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