Mom Posts Heartbreaking Photo of Her Son to Share the Realities of Childhood Cancer
"It is about to get real, real hard and real quick," starts a post to Facebook, which accompanies a heart-wrenching photo of a 10-year-old boy with cancer. "The picture I'm posting is from this morning, and before you scream and cry 'Why would she post a picture of him in a pull up, the indecency,' well, 1) it doesn't show more than swimming jammers would, and 2) because life is not always politically correct and pretty, it is real. Life isn't pretty, and cancer destroys a person."
Written by his mother and shared to the Love What Matters Facebook page, the post continues, describing the aforementioned photo of Drake, who is battling leukemia.
"This was this morning after carrying Drake to the bathroom. Yes, he is in a pull up because 75 percent of the time he can't control his bathroom habits. This is skin and bones, because I have to beg him to eat ONE green bean for supper, or drink a cup of water throughout the day. This is having your son sleep with you at night because he is afraid of something happening and being alone, and by something I mean dying.
This is having middle of the night conversations with a 10-year-old, asking if he dies will he go to heaven and will he see his dad there and be able to talk and play with him. This is him being too weak to get out of bed or walk and needing to be carried or in a wheelchair. This is him falling asleep as someone is talking to him, because he is too exhausted. This is him, throwing up every medication I give him and him dry heaving because his stomach is empty except for the spoonful of yogurt I just gave him with his pills. This is having to take 44 chemo pills last week in a matter of 24 hours.
This is him telling me, 'Mommy, I'm not going to make it.' This is him not wanting to be touched, because it hurts too much, and using morphine to get through his day. This is him telling me he is scared and thinks he won't see his eleventh birthday. This is him and me, telling him that I will continue to fight for him when he can't. This is him and me, and our world."
Drake's mom ends her post, which was originally posted to a Facebook page dedicated to supporting him through his battle, "Stinky Joe's #1 Pit Crew," with words every mother can relate to: "This is him, Drake, Stinky Joe, my whole world. From the moment I found out I was pregnant till future forever, he has been my reason for life. He is my smile, my love, my heartbeat. He is also my tears, my heartache, my frowns. He is my life."