Just last week, Ben Austin found out he had a Wilms tumour. It's a type of a rare type of paediatric kidney cancer.
The three-year-old, who has a little sister Elle, will have to undergo months of chemotherapy and surgeries.
To keep his spirits up and encourage him to fight the harrowing disease, Ben’s cousin had a lovely idea.
Knowing Ben’s a huge fan of superheroes, he went around asking friends and family to send hand-drawn pictures of superheroes with motivational phrases for Ben.
His parents Jason and Sara Austin were touched by the gesture.
With their support, Ben’s aunt Jonelle posted a call to action on Facebook this week, asking people around the world to make a picture of their favourite superhero and post it to her nephew to give him a boost.
“Take five minutes,” Jonelle wrote. “Make a little picture of your favorite superhero. It doesn't even have to be any good.”
As his parents say, it’s the little things that help, and dad Jason is hoping that the superhero message gets across to his boy.
“We hope that this reinforces the idea that he is just as strong, if not stronger, than any of the superheroes,” he told Today.
Aww. What a lovely way to try and boost a little boy’s spirits.
For Ben's address, click on the Facebook post below.
