Ethan
Toohey knows God is watching over him
By CHRISTIE L. CHICOINE
CS&T Staff Writer
If you’re a child who has cancer, don’t be afraid to cry.
“I’m OK with that — that happened to me,” said
12-year-old Ethan Toohey, a member of St. Martin of Tours Parish in New
Hope who is battling abdominal cancer.
At the same time, Ethan advises, be brave. “It’s OK to be
upset at first, but just keep on living with it until it’s gone.”
To cope with his cancer, Ethan knows he can count on his family and friends,
his parish and his Catholic faith. “I always know [God is] watching
over people like me,” Ethan said. “I know that He’s
helping me.”
But even in his conversations with God, Ethan thinks of others besides
himself. “I usually pray that everybody in the whole world is OK.”
Ethan, a sixth-grader at New Hope Solebury Middle School, attends the
parish religious education program at St. Martin of Tours.
He is the oldest of Martin and Diana Toohey’s three children. His
siblings are 10-year-old Patrick and 6-year-old Juliana.
In April 2006, Ethan was diagnosed with a tumor in his abdomen. He had
been complaining of a recurring stomachache for 10 days.
A visit to the doctor revealed a hernia, which required surgery. During
his hernia surgery at Doylestown Hospital, the cancer was discovered.
Ethan was immediately admitted to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia,
where his first round of chemotherapy was administered.
Chemotherapy continued until February this year, at which time Ethan was
admitted to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, where 95
percent of his tumor was removed.
On May 7, he began taking an antibody drug in a clinical trial to target
the remaining five percent that could not be surgically removed.
“Right now, I’m actually feeling great — for having
a very serious surgery a couple months ago,” he said.
In his free time, Ethan likes to swim, play video games and read action-adventure
and science fiction books.
He is grateful for the generous outpouring of prayers by family and friends
— and for the presents he’s received. Among his favorites
is the Nintendo DS that friends and their families from his school and
parish gave him on his 10th birthday. “I was surprised — and
I still play the DS now,” he said.
He also received a few “tattoos” or, as Ethan explains, “smudged
dots.”
When radiation treatments were initially planned for Ethan, doctors had
to prep him by placing several pen-point-sized permanent marks on his
abdomen. “I’m pretty much the only kid in middle school who
has tattoos,” Ethan said, even though “my Dad [has] said,
‘Do not get tattoos in your life!’”
On May 9, a benefit concert for Ethan was held at St. Martin of Tours
Church.
To help defray medical and travel expenses related to Ethan’s care,
send contributions to: Toohey Family Fund, c/o Kathleen Baty, 123 Equestrian
Drive, New Hope, PA 18938.
To follow Ethan’s progress, visit the Web site www.caringbridge.org,
then write “ethantoohey” under the icon “Visit a CaringBridge
Web site.”
CS&T Staff Writer Christie L. Chicoine may be reached at (215)
587-2468 or cchicoin@adphila.org.