Doctors Dismiss 8-Year-Old’s Pain as a Toothache—You Won’t Believe What They Missed

Sometimes, children find it hard to express their feelings. This means parents need to be more aware of what their child needs. These parents did just that, but sadly, it was beyond their control.

At the dentist, they found that he had some swelling in his teeth, likely due to a tooth infection. But instead of getting better, the swelling continued to grow.

When nothing seemed to help and his swelling got worse, his parents quickly took their upset child to a hospital. There, they received heartbreaking news: he had tumors on his brain and spine.

What was believed to be a tooth infection turned out to be a rare type of cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma. This cancer is so rare that it affects only about 55 children in the UK each year.

The first signs of this diagnosis are swelling or lumps that can appear on the body.

“Our world fell apart,” said Ethan’s father, Mark, in an interview.

Doctors discovered that Ethan’s cancer had spread to his lungs and bone marrow. They decided to start a strong treatment plan that included chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

But after nine months of treatment, Ethan passed away at just 9 years old.

After his death, his parents were very upset and called the treatment methods used for their son “embarrassing” and outdated. The grieving parents started a fundraiser in Ethan’s name to help support research.

Mark, Ethan’s father, described the treatment methods as “embarrassing” and said they are very outdated. They set a goal of $62,000 for their fundraiser, and about half of that has already been raised.

“We don’t want other families to go through what we’ve experienced; it’s terrible,” said Ethan’s family.

After his death, the issue of funding research on childhood cancer has been discussed in parliament, which is an important step toward ensuring more money is directed to this area.

If you found this story interesting, check out the one below about a three-year-old who passed away after dental procedures.

A teenager built his ideal tiny house entirely from reused materials and now enjoys living without paying rent

While many people typically wait until they are at least 30 years old to build their dream home, the thrill of hand-crafting your ideal living space is unmatched.

Imagine the journey of creating a plan, putting your heart and soul into it, and finally seeing your vision come to life. That’s exactly what Tom did. At just 17 years old, he used his skill, creativity, and determination to make his dream a reality.

Driven by rising housing costs and a desire for independence, Tom set out to build a modest home using recycled materials. He discovered he could create something completely from scratch while staying within a budget.

“My vision for the cabin was to keep things simple and provide a stress-free lifestyle. Everything I have is mine; I paid for everything”, Tom explained.

Now, at 20, Tom is relieved knowing he won’t have to spend his hard-earned money on rent. “It’s a no-brainer life and once you’ve built something, it really is yours”, he added.

Tom’s house is located on his grandfather’s extensive property and retains a charming English country aesthetic, complete with a side window. At 17, he bought a caravan and immediately began building it while working and completing his carpentry apprenticeship, which he completed in December.

The front of his house is made of larch wood, sourced cheaply from a local sawmill, while the side walls are made of fence boards. All the windows are recycled, sourced from a website that specializes in used materials. He recently added a porch, using boards from a scaffolding company and other scrap and reclaimed wood he recovered from the job.

Upon entering Tom’s home, visitors are greeted by beautiful reclaimed wood and a tranquil poster of a seascape. “My goal was to use only reclaimed wood for the build because it’s budget-friendly,” Tom noted. Much of the wood in his home was salvaged from old homes that he personally stripped down, sanded and repurposed.

The living area includes a compact workspace for his work and meals, a standard sofa, and a wall-mounted TV. In the future, he hopes to upgrade to a multifunctional sofa with built-in storage.

Tom especially loves his kitchen, where he made a fully functional worktop out of recycled scaffolding boards and spent hours sanding and painting it. The kitchen is equipped with essential appliances such as a fridge, stove and toaster.

Opposite the kitchen is a compact bathroom with a small chemical toilet with electric flush. The shower area has corrugated iron walls and copper fittings, evoking a rustic farmhouse feel. Back in the living room, a ladder leads to the loft, which leads to Tom’s cozy bedroom with double mattress.

Tom began building his dream home at age 17 with a budget of $8,200 and an hourly wage of $5.50 and managed to save most of his income to finance the construction of his home using recycled materials.