No one knows when a health scare will hit them or their family. Without fair warning, someone can be quickly thrown from what seemed to be perfect health into a situation where they are clinging on for life.
What appeared to be a simple mosquito bite on 11-year-old Matthew Kirk's nose ended up being far worse. After coming back from a family vacation, the Kirks noticed that their son's nose had started swelling. They chalked it up to an irritated mosquito bite until it progressed further...
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Meet 11-year-old Matthew Kirk from
Kidderminster, Worcestershire.
The Kirks had just come back from a family vacation in Menorca in the Mediterranean when Matthew started noticing something odd happening with his right nostril.
His right nostril was swelling considerably.
The family assumed that the bump had something to do with the trip they just returned from.
After having a doctor take a look at it, they thought it was a bacterial infection that may have resulted from a mosquito bite.
When the lump didn't go away, it was clear that something horrible was happening...
After performing several tests, doctors revealed to the Kirks that their son had an extremely rare form of cancer called alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma.
The cancer is so rare, in fact, that only 10 people per year are affected in the United Kingdom. Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma specifically affects connective and muscular tissue.
Matthew's mother Joannesaid that "as soon as doctors mentioned that he would need chemotherapy I burst into tears as it had suddenly hit me that my son had cancer."
Matthew's tumor had grown upwards toward his eye socket, preventing doctors from being able to use classic chemotherapy treatment to fully remove it.
Doctors started chemo treatments to shrink the tumor as much as possible so that they could begin a specialized therapy that could completely eliminate it.
Matthew was forced to travel to cancer specialists in Oklahoma in order to treat his condition with proton beam therapy.
The roughly two-month treatment would hopefully destroy the tumor once and for all.
Proton beam therapy was difficult for Matthew, but he made it through with grace.
"The treatment was very intense, which left Matthew's face burnt and peeling as well as giving him severe blisters in his mouth but we knew it was the only way to save our son," his mother said.
The therapy was a huge success!
Luckily, Matthew was able to return home in the UK even though he had to undergo final chemotherapy treatments.
Matthew is now in complete remission and the future looks bright.
Here he is with his family back in the UK, holding the mask he used to wear for his intensive therapy sessions. “When he went into the school his classmates gave him a massive cheer and were so happy to see him back after such extreme treatment – it really warmed my heart," said Joanne.
SHARE Matthew's amazing story with your friends on Facebook. What a strong young man!
h/t Caters News Agency
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