Losing a child is a terrible tragedy for any parent. But for this young boy, there’s nothing more tragic than being with his dying sister during her last moments to bid her farewell.
His Last Moments with His Dying Sister Were Captured on Camera
Addy Joy and her big brother were very close.
Little Addy was an amazing girl, bright and full of life. However, her life took a turn for the worse back in 2016 when she was diagnosed with an incurable and aggressive form of cancer in her brain stem. Addy had what was called a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, the second most common type of brain tumour in children.
Despite her condition, her family soldiered on. She underwent radiation therapy and spent countless hours in the hospital. For a while, the symptoms started to subside, and it seemed that she was getting better. But sadly, one day, her body stopped responding to the treatment. Eventually, it became worse.
Her dad shares, “On Wednesday the 9th, we found out that Addy’s cancer had spread to the lower part of her brain and on down her spine as well. Her Mexico treatment that has kept her cancer stabilized is no longer working either because the protocol has changed, or because the tumor has mutated.”
Eventually, her family decided to stop treatment and make the most of the time that Addy had left.
She Passed Away “Stubbornly, but also Peacefully,” Her Dad Shared
Addy being comforted by her big brother.
On June 2, Addy’s father posted the now viral photo of Addy’s big brother comforting his dying sister. He captioned it with, “A little boy should not have to say goodbye to his partner in crime, his play mate, his best friend, his little sister.”
“This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. But this is the broken world we live in. Addy’s symptoms have progressed rapidly over the past day and a half. Yesterday she woke up as her spunky playful self. While we still see short instances of our girl, she can no longer eat or swallow without difficulty and she’s sleeping most of the time now and we’ve admitted her into inpatient care. Most likely she doesn’t have much time left,” he added.
On June 3, Addy passed away “stubbornly, but also peacefully,” her dad shared in a post on Facebook.
He continues, “She wasn’t in any pain at the end. For those who were wishing to say goodbye, I’m so sorry. This all happened so much faster than we expected, but that in itself is a blessing because she suffered so little at the end. We will let you all know once services are scheduled. Thank you for being a part of our little girl’s miracle. While this is only goodbye for now we miss our baby girl terribly.”
Addy’s death is a great loss to her family, especially to her brother who loved his sister so much. Regardless, Addy is now in peace, and she is in a better place.
For a comprehensive article on talking to kids about death, please click here.
Source: Yahoo
Photos screencapped from: Facebook
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Republished with permission from: theAsianParent Singapore