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When Ethan Cavanagh was about nine months old, he began to develop dry, itchy patches on his skin. His mom, Terri Cavanagh, assumed it was just a bad sunburn, but when his symptoms persisted, she took Ethan to the doctors.
There, the doctor speculated that Ethan had eczema and prescribed him a moisturizing cream. Despite Cavanagh’s best efforts to keep Ethan’s skin moisturized – 15 times a day and regularly throughout the night – Ethan showed no signs of improving. Some mornings, he’d wake up covered in blood because he’d scratched his skin raw.
Five months later, Cavanagh took her son back to the doctor to run tests. They revealed that Ethan was allergic to many foods, like eggs, dairy, and nuts. Even after dietary changes, however, Ethan’s condition didn’t improve.
It was only four years afterward that Cavanagh finally, desperately took her son to the hospital.
His previous doctors had been completely off-based in their diagnoses.
Ethan’s immune system was attacking itself, causing it to develop red, raw skin patches that were so severe, many people mistook these marks as hot water burns.
The best method of treatment was not, then, just moisturizing the outer layer of skin. To be most effective, Ethan would have to undergo chemotherapy treatment that would suppress his immune system and keep it from turning on itself.
Cavanagh was initially against this treatment method because she didn’t want her son to suffer from the common side effects of chemotherapy, like hair loss or tissue damage.
“I did research and spoke to people on similar medication for other skin conditions and found it was more common than I thought,” Cavanagh admitted. “It was hard, because if your child's got cancer they have to have the drug to save their life. Although this isn't saving Ethan's life, it's giving him a better quality of life, we hope.”
Ethan began chemotherapy treatment in low doses back in January – but thus far, the treatment has made very little difference. His mom admits that it’s “heartbreaking to see [Ethan] in so much pain… He cries that he doesn’t want to be Ethan anymore.
“He says, ‘Why am I taking it if it’s not working and it tastes so bad?’”
Cavanagh is desperate to try anything that can allow Ethan to “live a normal life.” If you’d like to support Ethan and his family cover his medical bills, consider donating here.
