The smiling folks in the photos above? Those are four-year-old Ted and his father Phillip Rice. They’re happy because—thanks to Facebook and a doctor friend—Ted’s acute lymphocytic leukemia was diagnosed early in its progression and he’s been able to receive the chemotherapy treatment he needs.
You see, apparently Ted had been feeling under the weather and suffering from odd bruising and nosebleeds for a while when his parents noticed a peculiar rash developing on his face. For whatever reason they decided to snap a photo of it and send it to a doctor friend via Facebook:
After asking a few questions, Dr. Sara Barton, Rice’s co-worker at Salford Royal Hospital in England, told him to get Ted to the medical facility right away. Dr. Barton said the rash was a symptom of what turned out to be Tim’s diagnosis: Acute lymphocytic leukemia.
Once the health issue was diagnosed, things started looking up:
Since the diagnosis was confirmed three months ago, Ted has had daily chemotherapy treatments. His pop Philip has shaved his head in solidarity with Ted’s chemo-related hair loss. And while the boy currently needs a wheelchair to get around, his parents hope he’ll be well enough to attend pre-school.
Now, while I’m most definitely glad that this boy was diagnosed properly and has a fighting chance, I truly am concerned that his parents chose to send someone a photo via Facebook instead of actually taking their son to a doctor’s office. People on the Internet are not a replacement for medical professionals and proper examinations. [Daily Mail via Digital Life]