North Texas Mom Shares Heart-Wrenching Photo, Shows The Reality Of Pediatric Cancer
PRINCETON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — A Princeton mom shared a heart-wrenching image of her son — sick from his leukemia treatments — being comforted by his sister, to capture to reality of families battling pediatric cancer.
Like all siblings, Aubrey and Beckett give each other a hard time since being close in age isn't always easy. But they always have each other's back.
Beckett said his sister was rubbing his back while he was sick to his stomach from treatment.
Aubrey and Beckett's mom, Kaitlin Burge, said most people don't see behind the closed doors or the effects pediatric cancer has on families.
And by sharing this photo, Burge is letting people in while bringing awareness to some hard truths.
"He's burned to the core, you touch him... he's hot to the touch," she said. "He's a trooper."
Diagnosed last April, Beckett's hair has since grown back, though his treatment leaves him flushed. And it takes a toll on the entire family.
The family has been split up — Beckett and Aubrey's youngest sibling can't stay in the house right now due to the risk of infection.
Another hardship the family faces is that combined, all pediatric cancers receive less than 4% of federal funding for cancer research.
"If you don't know about a disease, you can't raise awareness," Burge said.
Currently, Beckett is in remission. He still has to go through some harsh treatment, so that the cancer doesn't come back, but his family expects to be wrapped up with treatment by the summer of 2021.