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Quinn Goodman

by Cassie from Dearborn

Fighting cancer must be a hard thing to do, especially for a four year old little boy. Courageous Quinn Goodman has been fighting a rare cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma for almost a year now and still is in the same condition. Quinny knows he has support from all of his family and friends and tries to stay smiling as much as possible. Losing his hair, appetite, and confidence are only a few struggles that this little boy has to face. Being in the hospital for almost a year was a tough thing for him to do, so being out of the "prison cell" for Christmas and hopefully more time to come, is a very big deal for everyone to notice.

Starting in December last year, Quinn had been whining about his legs hurting and how he felt "icky" also known as weak. Quinn's mom and dad thought it was probably a flu and told him he would be okay. Little did they know, the road to a healthy living was at an end and Quinn did have something seriously wrong with his poor little legs. Night after night Quinn would stay awake laying in his bed hopelessly crying about his legs hurting. At first, Quinn's mom thought it was an excuse to not sleep in his bed but when she gave in and put him in her bed he still would not stop crying. The next morning Quinn was sleepless and had excruciating pain in his short legs, she decided to take him to the ER to be checked out. Blood test after blood test, showed that something was wrong. After a few days of tests and Quinny being in the hospital, the doctors came to a conclusion that Quinn has cancer which was caused by a tumor in his spine, affecting him not to grow at all.

The past twelve months have been both mentally and physically challenging for every person that has crossed Quinn's path, as a friend, family member, or even just a peer. Hayden, Quinn's seven-year-old brother, has been by Quinn's side through it all, making him laugh or smile anyway possible a seven-year-old knows how. Quinn has showed improvement somewhat by being able to walk, crab crawl, army crawl, and bunny hop. His legs give out sometime and he hasn't grown at all but he still is the same happy Quinn as we all knew him to be before this terrible tragedy. If Quinn sees anyone crying he immediately asks what is wrong, even if he knows it's because of him. Just giving him a hug tears me up but the little boy never lets me down, always kissing my cheek as I pull away from the gracious hug.

In remission, Quinn recovered a small share of his eyebrows and hair back. Being a pirate is something Quinn has always wanted to do, so wearing a bandana sometimes is a good thing and makes his imagination be let free and makes him think of himself as a strong pirate. Also, being able to sit and stand up by him are two things he can now do because he has gained some strength back in his legs and core muscles. Courageous Quinn never gave up the fight of cancer and will continue to keep everybody's head held high in recovery to a healthy lifestyle again. Having the weight of making everyone happy on your shoulders is a big responsibility that Quinn has taken on and will not forget about. He cares a lot about family and doing family activities with his family such as going to the pumpkin patch, going to the hunting range with my dad and his dad, and also catching fish in the lake behind his house with his brother Hayden.

Quinn knows he is strong and makes sure to remind me every time I talk to him. Quinn is my hero because he has showed me over the past year that if you don't give up then you will achieve a certain goal. Yes, he is still in remission but is doing one hundred times better than he was at this time last year. Little by little Quinn gains his strength, courage, and appetite back which are an incredible thing to see. I pray for him every day as well as he prays for me. We have a bond where we can relate with any situation and know what we're both are talking about. He is very mature for his age and likes to keep a conversation going asking about my school and drama as well. Quinn did not once ever give up fighting against this brutally harmful cancer and that is one trait I absolutely LOVE about him. Just remember, cancer is a word. Not a sentence.

Page created on 12/13/2011 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 12/13/2011 12:00:00 AM

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