3-year-old boy fighting cancer celebrates 'forever birthday' in heart wrenching video
"Sometimes, real superheroes live in the hearts of small children fighting big battles."
That quote was shared on the Facebook page of Amanda Graham, mom of 3-year-old Benjamin Graham, a little boy fighting cancer.
The mom shared a video with "Good Morning America" of Benjamin's 4th birthday celebration. Benjamin won't be 4 years old until April 17, but his mom is afraid he won't make it until then.
In the video, where he is surrounded by family, he looks the part of a superhero as he wore a Batman shirt, with Batman paraphilia covering his hospital bed.
"Benjamin loves firefighters and police officers he loves his brothers and mommy and daddy," Amanda told "GMA." Ben gets along with everyone. Loves to run around and play and is excited about school."
His love of police officers earned him a visit from Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross, who made Benjamin an honorary member of the Philadelphia Police Department.
"It was nice to visit Benjamin and his parents this morning," Ross told "GMA" Thursday. "We extend our heartfelt prayers to Benjamin and his entire family. We salute our small, but very brave member of our police family."
The Atlantic County Sheriff's Office also paid a visit.
"On October 15, 2015, after a visit with an urologist, his family was told the devastating news that 18-month-old Ben had neuroblastoma, a pediatric cancer of the nervous system," according to the family's Helping Hands and Arms Wide Open "Benjamin’s Fight for Neuroblastoma" page.
After five rounds of chemotherapy and surgery at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Benjamin was cancer-free in August 2016.
To keep the cancer at bay, Benjamin received a bone marrow transplant, a procedure that left him in the hospital for a month. He then started immunotherapy treatment, a procedure so painful Benjamin needed to be on a morphine pump.
Still the doctors and family were hopeful. In April 2017, new scans were ordered. The Graham family planned a "huge" end of treatment party for him in June.
"Face painters, firemen, Disney princesses, and all of Ben’s friends and family were ready to celebrate. Ben went through a round of routine scans. Then, on the Friday before his big party, Ben’s parents got an unwelcome phone call from his doctors. To their disbelief, three new spots were found on Ben’s newest scans: one on his upper left clavicle, one on his left adrenal gland, and one in the lower pocket of his left lung (the spot they had been sure was just a ball of phlegm). Ben had relapsed," the page said.
"Ben is resting most of his days now. He is such a fighter. We have told him to let go so many times but he keeps fighting," his mother told "GMA."
His mom has asked well-wishers to send Benjamin birthday cards at the hospital:
Benjamin Graham
Room 1 South 3
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
3401 Civic Center Boulevard
Philadelphia PA, 19104
