Boy with Cancer Tells Mom Not to Cry: 'My Baby Brother Will Be Scared' – Story of the Day

A little boy who is in the hospital for treatment for cancer stuns his grieving mother with an unusual request.

When Raphael was three, his mom noticed that her son went from being a boisterous, energetic little boy to being listless and constantly tired. A doctor's appointment turned into a nightmare.

Medical exams showed that Raphael was suffering from leukemia. It was the beginning of a horrific ordeal for Anne Kowalski, Raphael's mother, and the rest of the family: the fight for her son's life.

Anne and Patrick Kowalski were devoted parents to their two sons. Raphael at three was the oldest, and the youngest, Sam, was a year old.

For a brief space of time, Anne and Patrick harbored the hope that Sam's tissue type was compatible with Raphael. A bone marrow transplant could save his life, but it was not meant to be.

Children are the most precious thing in any parent's life.

Over the next four years, Anne and Patrick watched their little boy skate close to the edge, and time after time, he'd recover. But the treatments were taking as big a toll as the disease.

Raphael was a frail little boy, but nothing could keep his sunny disposition down. He loved going to school, and most of all he loved his little brother, Sam.

The two were inseparable, best friends. Sam worshiped Raphael, and everything he did was for his big brother. When Raphael was in the hospital, Sam would mope around the house.

"Why can't I sleep at the hospital with Rapha?" he'd ask his mom tearfully. "He's my bestest friend!"

"Honey," Anne said gently. "Rapha needs his rest, but tomorrow I'll take you to visit..."

When Rapha was nearly eight, things got very, very bad. Doctors hinted to Anne and Patrick that they had reached the end of the road. Raphael somehow seemed to sense how sick he was.

"Mom," he said. "You remember Tommy? That kid from Ohio who had that cool PlayStation?"

Anne did remember Tommy. Tommy had been in the same ward as Raphael, and he'd passed away. "Sure," she smiled. "I remember Tommy!"

"You know, Tommy went to God?" her son asked.

Anne felt a sharp pain in her heart and tears filled her eyes. "Yes, honey, I know," she replied.

"Well, his mom cried an awful lot," Rapha said. "I want to ask you something..."

"Anything you want, honey," Anne whispered.

"Mom, if I go to God I don't want you to cry too much, only a little, or my baby brother will be scared," Raphael said seriously. "He's going to need you, 'cause I'm his best friend."

Anne started sobbing and threw her arms around her son. "Oh, baby," she cried. "Don't you worry your little heart! I promise I'll take care of Sam!"

Two days later, the doctors decided to put Raphael on a new treatment, and fortunately, it worked! Raphael went into remission, and six months later, he was back to his energetic and fun-loving old self.

That was four years ago, but Anne and Patrick still worry every time Raphael gets tired or gets a cold. As for Sam, he still adores his big brother.

Anne is very proud of her son and is sure that Raphael will one day be a loving, kind man with a generous heart who thinks of others first.

What can we learn from this story?

• Children are the most precious thing in any parent's life. Anne and Patrick were devastated when they learned their little boy was ill and that they might lose him.
• A loving, generous heart puts others first. Even though he was very ill, Raphael still worried about his little brother, Sam.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a little boy grieving for his recently deceased father who is worried that he will be afraid of the dark, so he takes a candle to his grave.

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