Christmas comes early for little boy with terminal cancer
Christmas has come pretty early to a town in Utah - but for a very good reason.
Ethan Van Leuven is four years old and has battling been battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia since he was 22 months old.
Unfortunately, his doctors have said his disease is no longer treatable.
Merrill Van Leuven, Ethan’s dad, told Today:
“The doctors basically said, he’s got two days to a couple of weeks left to live, and so that’s when we thought we would make the most of the last days he has remaining with us.”
Faced with the news that it is unlikely, Ethan will see Christmas this year, his community in the town of West Jordan decided to pack in as many holidays as they could in the time Ethan has left
.
Last Tuesday, they celebrated Halloween - putting up decorations and going out trick or treating. Ethan went as Superman, of course.
Next up was Ethan’s fifth birthday - fast-tracked by one month - and a huge parade was held in his honour.
"Ethan's having a blast,'' his mother, Jennifer Van Leuven, told Today. "It's so much fun to watch his face light up."
And then, on Friday, it was time for Christmas.
The Christmas lights went up around the town, Santa and Mrs. Claus flew in specially and Ethan got to ride on the town truck to the nativity play.
150 people gathered on the Van Leuven’s lawn to sing carols on ‘Christmas Eve’ and a local radio station even played Christmas songs.
The family then spent their Christmas Day together on Saturday, opening presents and celebrating Ethan’s favourite holiday.
"It's a really difficult time, but this just makes it a little bit easier just to see how many people love and support,” said Jennifer.
Merrill said he was feeling “just overwhelmed” and thanked the community for their suppport and the "outpouring of love and affection,"
"It's felt like Christmas all day to me."
