Netizens are moved by a mother of three's photos of her five-year-old daughter supporting her four-year-old ailing brother who fights childhood cancer. The little tyke is undergoing chemotherapy, and the disease has disrupted their playtime; yet, he smiles. The raw photos have reached millions by now and signify the ongoing World Childhood Cancer awareness month.

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The brother-sister bond

The mother, namely, Kaitlin Burge from Princeton, Texas wrote September 3 that her entire family is affected. She went on to mention that everyone has a tendency to talk about the financial and medical struggles related to cancer. But people hardly know what the family goes through. Through the photos of her daughter and son, Kaitlin tries to emphasize on the fact that the kids who were busy playing are now spending most of their times in cold hospital rooms. She has posted the above message in the caption of the image of her kid's struggle on the page “Beckett Strong” named after her son, 'Beckett'.

"My then 4-year-old watched her brother go from an ambulance to the ICU. She watched a dozen doctors throw a mask over his face, poke and prod him with needles, pumps a dozen medications through his body, all while he laid there helplessly. She wasn’t sure what was happening to her brother, her best friend. A little over a month after he was released from the hospital, she watched him struggle to walk and struggle to play. The lively, energetic, and outgoing little brother she once knew was now a quiet, sick and very sleepy little boy. He never wanted to play. She didn’t understand how he was able to walk before this, but now he can’t even stand unassisted. She didn’t understand the different therapies he had to attend to gain his strength back. To her, it was something special he got to do that she didn’t. Why couldn’t they go to their favorite trampoline park anymore? Why couldn’t they go to the splash pads they previously went to? Why didn’t he have to go back to school, but she did?,” Burge wrote.

Burge explained that children need support and togetherness and shouldn't be kept away from sick people. She asserts on the fact that her daughter's presence is needed. "Vomiting between play sessions. Waking up to throw up. Standing by her brother’s side and rubbing his back while he gets sick. Going from 30 lbs. to 20 lbs. This is childhood cancer. Take it or leave it,” that's how she stands for her brother, Kaitlin writes.

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Cancer diagnosis and treatment

Beckett was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in April 2018; a diagnosis that makes up about 30 percent of all children diagnosed with pediatric cancer. Leukemia is a condition in which patients white blood cells or lymphocytes are destroyed. As the white blood cells play a very important role in growth and immunity, the disease is life-threatening. Burge in her previous post shared how she learned about her child's disease. She shared that his daycare had called her back then to ask her if she could come get him because he had been running a fever. When taken to pediatrician he was given medicines for ear infection. As the infection did not go away, his temperature rose to 104. Later, he was transferred to Children’s Health in Plano. She wrote that on September 15, 2018, her child was diagnosed with pneumonia, 5.5 hemoglobin and a white blood cell count of 150,000, which confirmed 'leukemia'.

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Kaitlin's post reaches hundreds

Kaitlin Burge’s Facebook post has been shared over 30,000 times. This has prompted her to share more photos of him. One can find many photos of Beckett on the page, which include Beckett getting ready for his first day of school and the one sharing a bear hug with his sister Aubrey. His incredible journey is now inspiring many. After watching his photos, many parents have come forward to share photos of their own children who are undergoing cancer treatment. 

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