You don’t often hear about, or see, second grade boys growing out their hair so they can donate it to pediatric cancer patients. Well, 7-year-old Vinny Desautels of Roseville, California, did just that through the nonprofit Wigs for Kids. But now, Vinny received some devastating news–his own cancer diagnosis.
Recently, Vinny came home from school telling his parents that his knee hurt–his parents also noticed a lump on his right hip and a swollen eye, which they initially attributed to allergies. However, upon taking him to the emergency room, an X-ray revealed a large growth.
Sadly, a series of tests have confirmed the worst: Vinny has tumors on his hip and in the bone around his eye. He was then diagnosed with an unknown form of metastatic cancer. As of now, his parents are waiting for confirmation that he has Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that forms in bone or soft tissues. Vinny’s dad has stated that it is severe:
“It is Stage 4 aggressive cancer.”
Previously, Vinny was teased for growing out his hair, which his grandmother wrote on his GoFundMe page:
via People
“Even though he was teased throughout the two years of growing his hair out, it didn’t deter him from his mission…to help a child in need.”
Despite all of this, Vinny’s parents are optimistic–his mother stated:
“As long as we are doing this as a family, we got this.”
It’s amazing how positive they remain, despite the trauma and uncertainty of Vinny’s diagnoses. In the end, having hope is the only thing we can do to cope, regardless of whether our problems are “big” or “small.”
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