Mum shares photo of her brave son to help others battling cancer

10-year-old Drake Medinger was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in September of 2012, and he has been fighting an incredibly brave battle ever since.

And in a bid to help others going through the same thing, his mum, Jessica, shared a photo of him standing in the bathroom looking distressed and wearing a pull-up on the Love What Matters Facebook page. 

However, while Jessica admits some readers may find it distressing, she has done it to help raise awareness of not just childhood cancer, but also of her son's incredibly brave fight.

"For anyone battling cancer or enduring chemotherapy. For anyone going through this horrible disease. It is about to get real, real hard and real quick," Jessica wrote: 

"The picture I'm posting is from this morning, and before you scream and cry 'why would she post a picture of him in a pull up, the indecency'

"Well 1. It doesn't show more than swimming jammers would and 2. Because life is not always politically correct and pretty, it is real. Life isn't pretty, and cancer destroys a person. [sic]"

According to a YouCaring page set up to help mother and son "kick cancer", Drake is battling leukaemia for the second time and struggles to eat and drink, which is why he is so thin.

Explaining what life is like for the pair, Jessica said: "This is him being too weak to get out of bed or walk and needing to be carried or in a wheelchair.

"This is him falling asleep as someone is talking to him, because he is too exhausted.

"This is him, throwing up every medication I give him and him dry heaving because his stomach is empty except for the spoonful of yoghurt I just gave him with his pills.

"This is having to take 44 chemo pills last week in a matter of 24 hours. "

A PO box is currently being set up so people can send in their letters of support and encouragement.

"Right now we are just trying to get through the day. We never excepted this to spread as much as it has," Drake's aunt, Ericka, wrote under the Facebook post.

"Thank you for your care and support. We want to raise awareness that childhood cancer only receives 4 percent of research funding. Please pray as that means the most to us."

And while the photo is heartbreaking, it is important to highlight the tough journey that families with kids fighting cancer take.