A Florida teenager originally diagnosed with the flu has discovered weeks later that he actually has stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Hunter Brady, 16, of Hudson, Florida, was diagnosed with the flu by his physician in November after he began to feel sick and shortness of breath, PEOPLE reports. He was sent home with antibiotics to help treat the virus, but his condition progressively worsened instead of improving.
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“I was on the antibiotics for two weeks and was feeling worse. I had to sleep sitting up. My dad looked at me one night at dinner and said we were going to the hospital,” Brady said.
When doctors at Mease Countryside Hospital in Safety Harbor, Florida performed a CAT scan, which they called “the worst X-ray they had ever seen on a child,” it was revealed that his entire right lung had collapsed and his left lung was 30% collapsed. It was just the beginning of Brady’s medical struggles, though.
He was then transferred St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa, where he underwent five separate surgeries to drain the fluid from his heart and lungs. A biopsy performed on Jan. 4 revealed that Brady had stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, the most aggressive form of the cancer.
“I was shocked and so scared. But I knew I could beat this so I stayed positive. I kept a lot of faith,” Brady said.
Brady has since received several rounds of chemotherapy, with doctors saying that he has a survival rate of 65%. He will undergo two more rounds of chemotherapy before beginning radiation treatment.
“There is no turning back. Hearing from people that I’m an inspiration has made me feel better than I ever could have imagined,” Brady said, adding that the community has come together to support him.
Since the diagnosis, the family has created a YouCaring fundraising page to help raise money to cover the costs of Brady’s medical treatment that won’t be covered by insurance.
