There are circumstances beyond our control that play out in ways we cannot predict or prepare for, and we have no choice but to roll with the punches until it all unfolds. One seven-year-old boy named Vinny is having his first taste of this feeling, but instead of feeling sorry for himself, he is feeling stronger than ever.
Vinny Desautels was born to parents Amanda Azevedo and Jason Desautels and like all kids his age, he had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Not wanting to let anything slip past him, Vinny asked his hairstylist mom about the effects of cancer.
Amanda, who had told her family that she was working at a local gala for cancer survivors, was surprised at her son’s question, but she answered that sometimes, people with cancer lose their hair, so she wanted to help make it look nice. Inspired, Vinny wanted to help.
For two years, Vinny did not cut his hair. He didn’t mind the teasing, the name-calling, or the people asking if he was a girl. “Nah, I’m a boy,” he’d respond. Finally, Amanda stepped in and cut off her son’s 13- inch mop and sent it along with to the organization, Wigs for Kids, a group for young children with cancer.
It was only days later when Vinny got the news that he was one of these young children. After already suffering through days of having a swollen eye, Vinny began to have severe pain in his knee. His parents soon found that their little boy’s hip was also swollen, and after an emergency room visit, they were confronted with fact that Vinny faced an aggressive, stage-4 cancer.
While this was devastating news, the family has continued to stay positive. They are getting Vinny the treatment he needs and has started a GoFundMe campaign called Victory For Vinny that has raised over $300,000 to help pay for his medical bills. They hope that the same kindness and desire to give that Vinny himself felt will inspire others to help their little boy now.
