Vinny Desautels spent two years growing his hair long before donating it to be made into a wig for cancer patients. But, a few weeks after making his donation, Vinny's family learned that he was battling cancer himself.
In an interview with FOX 40 news, Vinny's father, Jason Desautels, shared the extent of his son's diagnosis.
"It is a stage four, aggressive cancer," Desautels said in the interview. "So, 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."
In a touching Facebook post in March, Vinny's mother, Amanda Azevedo, praised her son for the sweet donation he made to cancer patients.
"I am so proud to call this little man my son," she wrote. "He has been growing out his hair for the past 2 years and I had the privilege of being the one to cut it for him. He's been teased and mistaken for a girl several times but he stuck with it because he knew it was for a good cause. Vincent, I love you to the moon and back. You are the most selfless 7-year-old I have ever known."
Vinny's grandparents started a GoFundMe for his family, where nearly $500,000 has been raised by supporters. The family has since stopped accepting donations, asking that further donations be made to organizations that support pediatric cancer research.
Through updates to the GoFundMe site, the family has shared that while they are still waiting on a diagnosis of the type of cancer Vinny has, oncologists believe it to be Ewing Sarcoma, a form of bone cancer.
"The support towards Vinny has been beyond extraordinary, and we appreciate all of it," Vinny's parents posted to the GoFundMe site. "However this is all new to us as a family and we don't want to lie to you we are a little uncomfortable...please bear with us....we are very positive and optimistic. Thank you all for your time and support."