It all started with some occasional heartburn at certain meal times. The strongest painkiller super-sporty teen Ethan Hamer had ever taken was Capol, so his parents Barri and Debbie weren't overly concerned and thought the occasional burning sensation in his upper chest could be linked to growing pains, or an intolerance to certain foods.
Those pains started just over six months ago, in the springtime of 2022. In May, their 14-year-old son won the Caerphilly 2K run, and in June he finished fourth in the Welsh 800m Championships. Every week, he played football for Cwrt Rawlin Football Club, Risca Academy and for his school St Martins Comprehensive.
But, just weeks after suffering those pains the teenager, from Caerphilly, was bedridden, floored by a rare and aggressive form of cancer that is normally only seen in elderly patients. It is so rare that doctors at the Noah's Ark Hospital in Cardiff have never seen a case in someone so young.
The cancer is so advanced that his devoted parents are desperate to try out a new way of treating and attacking the cancer at a specialist clinic in Germany.
After first feeling it in May. Ethan's heartburn gradually got worse and worse. He was also complaining of a pain in his hip that they originally thought was a sports injury.
As his condition worsened, Barri and Debbie become more concerned. When they took Ethan back to their GP on August 15, he agreed that they needed to "ramp up the tests", and he was admitted to the Grange Hospital in Cwmbran.
An MRI scan revealed what was described as "suspicious activity", but even the couple had not considered cancer. But then their son was transferred to the oncology department at the Noah's Ark Childrens' Hospital , and after a series of tests doctors broke the devastating news to the family that Ethan had a form of esophageal cancer, and it had spread to other parts of his body.
Barri and Debbie say: "When anyone is diagnosed with cancer it is heart-breaking for all those around but when it is your child there are no words to describe the pain and helplessness when given the diagnosis.
"Our world has been torn apart, with complete disbelief that this was happening to what was an ultra-fit, healthy and strong teenager who was a talented athlete, footballer, and all-round fun-loving sportsman.
"As well as playing football, he ran long-distance and cross country for Cardiff Archers, Cardiff Athletics Club and South Wales, competing nationally. All of this has now been cruelly taken from him due to this terrible disease. Within weeks he went from being such a sport boy, to be completely bedridden."
Ethan is currently having chemotherapy in three-week cycles, but it is a why to treating the cancer, not a cure.
Mum Debbie says: "Going through chemotherapy is something no child should have to endure, but Ethan has been amazing through it all. He hasn't complained, he has done everything that has been asked of him.
"The most difficult part was when he came home from hospital with his medication and realised he had to take about 17 tablets at a time. In the hospital, the drugs were administered through a drip, but having to actually swallow the tablets was so hard for him because of the blockage. They kept coming back up again, and it was so hard for him.
"Also, the side effects he has through the toxicity of this form of treatment is heart-breaking to see your child have to go through. Unfortunately, for Ethan this treatment is not a cure."
Initially the chemotherapy treatment was combined with an immunotherapy treatment but in the days following the first cycle, Ethan suffered a case of aseptic meningitis a major side effect.
It came on extremely quickly, and if his dad had not got him back to hospital as quickly as he did, and were it not for the swift action of the medical staff it could’ve proven fatal.
Dad Barri says: "Throughout this Ethan has showed a bravery way beyond anything we have ever seen whilst going through painful procedures such as lumbar punctures, laparoscopy and other biopsies.
"The day he got ill with meningitis, he had to have a lumbar puncture. It was terrible having to stand there and watch your son go through so much pain."
The immunotherapy treatment been stopped because there are concerns it poses a significant risk of another potentially fatal side effect.
Throughout all this, the couple have been looking for any way possible to help their son. Debbie says she "researched, researched, researched" spending hour after hour on social media joining groups asking for anyone with information that could help. They were told about clinics across the world that may be able to help.
They wrote to them and heard back from a clinic in Germany who emailed to say that they may be able to help and offered the couple a consultation.
"They set up a Zoom consultation and it was actually with the owner of the clinic," explains Debbie. "They told us about two types of treatment, including one that gives the patients a personalised vaccine. He used the word cure, our aim. It was almost to good to be true, but they followed up the consultation with all the details."
It is the hope that the family were so desperate to hear, but it doesn't come cheap and they realised that they would need help to raise the money needed.
A GoFundMe page was set up to help raise £200,000, Wales captain Gareth Bale sent a message of support and the Azaylia Foundation charity set up by reality star Ashley Cain in memory of his daughter to fight childhood cancer donated £10,000. So far it has raised £88,000.
Debbie says: "It has been a really hard thing for us to do. We are very private people, but we needed help. Before this I would have found it difficult to ask someone to get a pint of milk for us, but we have to do everything we can to help our son.
"We had to make sure that Ethan was OK with it all. He is a teenage boy who doesn't want to be embarrassed, but we knew he was worrying about how we were going to raise the money we we talked him through it and I read out to him what we had written. It was hard to do, but he needed to be involved.
"I had to tell him that we needed helped and this was the only way to do it."
Barri and Debbie say their hands were shaking when they hit the send button on the fundraising page, and they thought no-one would see it, but they have been overwhelmed by the response.
People from around the world have donated and left messages, people in the local community have been organising fundraising events, and complete strangers have been in touch offering to help.
"Ethan has read every single one of the messages that people have sent," says Debbie. "The response has been phenomenal and we are so grateful to each and every person who has helped. It was so hard pressing that button on the page but people have been so, so kind. We are just clinging on to that word cure that the clinic doctor used."
If you can help the family, you can donate here.
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Since the time of diagnosis, every spare moment of our time has been spent researching and researching for any treatments available for him across the world. As a result, and with the help of other people with cancer in a similar situation, we have found two potential clinics. One in Germany, and the other in Japan, which will be able to offer treatment, but it comes at a very high cost. The treatment offered is a personalized cancer vaccine for Ethan specifically. The treatment relies on Ethan's immune system to fight the cancer cells without affecting his healthy cells.
The clinical evidence of this treatment shows positive and successful results in those who have received it.
The costs of preparing and administering this vaccine which will involve an initial number of weeks stay in the country followed by further periodic ongoing treatment can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Please, please help us by donating as much as you can to give Ethan his future back and be able to fulfil all his hopes and dreams in the future as any child should do so.
We believe that Ethan has the fight and determination to give this everything he has but the cost of treatment is something we cannot do on our own.
We need to keep Ethan alive and well to enjoy time in this world with his two younger brothers whose lives have also been turned upside down with this diagnosis.
We will be forever grateful to all those who are able to help us in this devastating journey which no family should ever have to experience.
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