NEED TO KNOW
- A 6-year-old boy’s arm was removed after he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone cancer, but it spread throughout his body
- As the little boy navigates his last days, his community is surrounding him with love and fun experiences, like a visit from Santa
- “Man, did we so need that happy moment for us,” his mom wrote of the visit
As a 6-year-old boy with bone cancer lives out his last days, his family is cherishing their final moments together with the help of the local community.
Axyl Womack’s family and friends in Monticello, Ga., have organized multiple fundraisers to offset his medical costs — and even brought Santa to his house, allowing the little boy and his brothers to celebrate one last Christmas together.
“We have followed his journey through everything,” Cory McMichael, a relative of the Womack family who has organized fundraisers on their behalf, tells PEOPLE. He says watching Axyl go from “a vibrant little six-year-old kid,” who loves to run and play, to his current state has been “heartbreaking.”
On Friday, Aug. 1, McMichael helped organize a visit from a local Santa performer so Axyl and his older brothers, Jaxon, 14, and Braxton, 10, could have a bit of holiday cheer. Their community did their part too, bringing toys and games.
When Santa was at his house, Axyl gave him a hug, and told him he loved him. The moving moment brought tears to Santa’s eyes.
In a post on Facebook on Sunday, Aug. 3, Axyl’s mom, Augusta Womack, shared her appreciation for those who participated.
“This was a happy time, for even just a moment, that our family was able to smile,” she wrote. “Man, did we so need that happy moment for us. Having not only watch[ed] a loved one, but our own son go through this, is something I can never wish on my enemy.”
She continued, “Small moments become big ones sometimes.”
The Womack family’s lives changed abruptly last March when Augusta and her husband William took their youngest son to see the doctor after he fell and hurt his right arm.
When Axyl’s X-rays came in, the doctor discovered a mass and had his parents take him to a children’s hospital, leading to the eventual diagnosis. Osteosarcoma begins in the cells that create bones, and is most often diagnosed in teens and young adults, according to the Mayo Clinic.
By June, Axyl’s right arm was removed to prevent the cancer from spreading and he underwent chemotherapy. But the family’s hopes that the cancer was isolated were quickly dashed.
“When he went to have his scan, it was awful,” says McMichael. “From head to toe, he’s covered, just completely covered in cancer.”
The little boy’s doctors explained that “it feels like every bone in his body is broken,” McMichael recalls.
By Sunday, July 20, a GoFundMe created to support Axyl’s medical expenses came with a devastating update from Augusta. Axyl had just a few weeks to a few months to live, and would receive hospice care from his home.
“His cancer spread from his brain to his tiny toes in a matter of a few weeks,” his mom wrote in the update. “There is nothing else they can do for our baby but make him comfortable at this point.”
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When Axyl was first diagnosed with osteosarcoma, his loved ones organized a fundraiser at McMichael’s track, Monticello Kart Racing.
On Sunday, July 27, they organized another one, this time featuring fire trucks, police cars, helicopters and monster trucks — some of Axyl’s favorite things, all with the help of locals and first responders.
“It was such a good day, because with all this going on, he was able to get out, and smile and laugh a little bit,” says McMichael.
As Axyl’s breathing worsens and his nights become more difficult to navigate, his family is trying to bring him some joy. Jaxton and Braxton are spending “every bit of time they can” with their brother, while their parents are rallying for their youngest son.
“Of course, they break down and have their moments,” says McMichael of how Axyl’s parents are coping. He says that after William and Augusta get emotional, they push past it.
McMichael says, “They go back to having to live – and live for him.”
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