Vinny Desautels: The Boy Who Grew His Hair For Cancer Patients Is Diagnosed With The Dreaded Disease

A mere 7-year-old boy, who grew out his hair to donate to cancer patients, has sadly been diagnosed with the same dreaded disease.

Vincent Desautels, of Roseville, California, lovingly called Vinny, ignored all the silly insults that were hurled at him by the boys and girls of his age. After all, a 7-year-old boy doesn’t typically have long, flowing locks of hair. Despite the criticism and ridicule, young Vinny was quite happy to keep letting his hair grow, reported the Daily Mail. The boy resisted the temptation to opt for a haircut and trim his hair to match the hairstyles of his peers. He let his blond hair grow to 13 inches. Vinny’s sole intention behind growing his hair was to donate the locks and help someone battling cancer.

However, in a cruel twist of fate, Vinny and his family found out that he had stage 4 cancer. It was briefly after completing his mission and chopping off his long ponytail, that doctors realized Vinny was suffering from an aggressive type of cancer that had already spread to multiple regions of his body.

Vinny had spent 2 years of his life patiently growing out his hair. His wanted to donate his locks to young kids who had lost their hair to the cruel disease. While undergoing chemotherapy, one of the first things to start disappearing is hair. While battling cancer is traumatic, having to deal with baldness at such a tender age can be completely defeating. It is critical for patients battling cancer to be in good spirits, since cancer medication is quite strong and can have nasty side effects, which often rob the body of energy, and eventually, joy.

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Many charitable organizations actively seek donors who are willing to part with their hair. While artificial wigs can work, there is no substitute to natural hair. Interestingly, besides the adults, there are many kids who willingly accept the challenge and donate their locks. After hearing about one such charity, “Wigs for Kids with Cancer,” Vinny asked his parents if he could grow out his hair. Hearing such an altruistic intention, Vinny’s parents wholeheartedly supported him and helped him in his endeavor.

“I want to help people so they don’t have to go to the doctors to fight cancer.”

After 2 years, Vinny asked his mother to donate his hair, expecting nothing in return for such a benevolent act. “And then everyone got excited when mom cut the ponytails off. I was happy,” Vinny said, as reported by Fox 8 Cleveland. Vinny’s proud father, Jason Desautels, a combat veteran continued to share his experience.

“He was happy to help, a moment of selfless service, asking for nothing in return. During that time he was mistaken for a girl many times, but Vinny took it like a champ and was like, ‘Nah, I’m a boy.”

A few weeks after cutting and donating his hair, young Vinny and his family received the life-changing news. Vinny was diagnosed with stage 4 aggressive cancer, shared his father with a very heavy heart.

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The boy who gave selflessly to help those suffering with cancer is now battling the disease himself, reports AOL.

“It is stage 4 aggressive cancer. Basically, what they found is that he has a significant growth on his hip and in the bone around the eye and behind the nose and on the cheek on the right side.”

Vinny hasn’t let the cancer defeat his optimism and enthusiasm. Attempting to make sense about the disease and trying to come to terms with the reality, the 7-year-old boy made the following statement.

“My eye was getting heavy. Well, the veins from my hip are traveling to another place right behind my eye and it’s making it squinty.”

Vinny’s doctors haven’t yet identified the type of cancer, but they have noted it is aggressive and the boy may soon have to undergo intensive treatment to restrict its spread. The boy’s grandparents have setup a GoFundMe page to support him in his battle.

[Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images]