Jessica Jones actor Eka Darville’s son Mana is battling cancer. The Marvel actor, who is next set to appear in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, revealed the heartbreaking news in a Monday, March 13 Instagram post that his young son was diagnosed with an “extremely rare” and “very aggressive” type of brain cancer.
A GoFundMe page created to help Darville and his family cover the expenses of Mana’s medical care explained that Mana’s health crisis began in July 2022 when “Mana collapsed on the beach with a massive seizure that left the right side of his body paralyzed.” Mana was initially misdiagnosed with Focal Cortical Dysplasia, and while all efforts were made to stop the seizures, Darville said his son “continued to suffer daily uncontrolled episodes.” It wasn’t until Mana was rushed to the emergency room on January 18, 2023 “an MRI revealed two large masses in Mana’s brain; one the size of a peach and the other a walnut. Tumors, now growing across the surface of our son’s brain.” Mana was immediately rushed into a 13-hour surgery, but doctors were only able to successfully remove 60% of one mass. According to Darville, the specific type of cancer his son is battling is unknown.
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“The tumor tissue was sent to the best diagnostic laboratories in the world, with the hope of finally knowing what type of cancer we’re dealing with. But after cross-referencing the genetics and morphological features against the entire Australasian, European and select American databases, there are zero matches to what they are seeing. In true Mana style, this is one of a kind,” the GoFundMe page said, going on to explain that Darville and his partner Lila have been told that Mana “has high-grade aggressive brain cancer” that is “some form of glioneuronal tumor with genetic mutations usually only seen in glioblastomas.”
Without a diagnosis, Darville and Lila were told that doctors “‘cannot responsibly offer you ANYTHING in terms of treatment,’” prompting the parents to begin a search for treatment for their son on their own. The actor explained that they found two clinics in the United States that have “stunning success treating paediatrics and curing the ‘incurable.’” However, neither are covered by insurance, and “the cutting-edge treatments at both of these clinics cost between $17,000 – $35,000 USD per month.” Darville said his family needs to raise “enough to cover the first 9 -12 months of treatment, plus medical devices, medications, international travel/accommodation and childcare for our other two boys,” with all funds raised by the GoFundMe going “directly to supporting us Heal Mana.”
In the heartbreaking post announcing Mana’s diagnosis, Darville said his son is “the boy who made me a Father, the baby who showed me what unconditional love is, my greatest teacher, my Son MANA, is fighting brain cancer.” He asked his followers to “help us move mountains to keep this magical little boy with us!” The GoFundMe has raised more than $250,000.
