Boy Battling Rare Cancer Wishes To Be Famous In China

At the age of 4, Dorian Murray from Connecticut was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma; this type of childhood cancer causes malignant cancer cells to form in muscle tissues, according to the National Cancer Institute.

In battling this rare type of cancer, Dorian, now 8, and his family, learned that his cancer is no longer treatable, according to Fox News. However, a January 11 post on a Facebook page run by his family notes that Dorian wanted to become "famous in China," because of the Great Wall.

Though Dorian will be unable to travel to China, he asked that people in China and other countries send pictures from the area so he knows that "he is internationally famous," according to the BBC.

After his family posted the request on Facebook, thousands of visitors at the Great Wall started flooding social media holding signs with the hashtag "D-Strong."

Dorian's family hope that his message will raise awareness for pediatric cancer.

Medical treatments are continuously growing and changing to benefit more people and a wider range of illnesses--including childhood cancers, which are estimated to affect 250,000 children globally each year alone, according to the American Childhood Cancer Organization. However, many children who do survive also suffer late-effects from treatments, including infertility, heart failure and sometimes secondary cancers. Dorian's cancer returned at 7 following initial treatments at diagnosis, according to the family's Facebook page. 

Related Articles

Rare Kidney Cancer In Children Caused By Genetic Mutation

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).