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Why did father of this 4-year-old cancer patient decide to stop her treatment?

4-year old Jessica Whelan is suffering from fourth-stage Neuroblastoma

• By: News Desk |
• November 3, 2016 6:21 pm

There cannot be more heart-rending situation than to see your loved one dying. And the plight is painful for a father to see his daughter nearing death. But Andy Whelan has a lot of strength and has taken up an initiative to spread awareness about cancer through his terminally-ill four-year-old daughter Jessica. A resident of Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, United Kingdom, Whelan is a photographer who has posted picture of his Jessica, who suffers from fourth stage neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer. In September, she was admitted to a hospital after complaining of immense pain in her arms. The doctors examined her and found it to be bone infection.

After spending ten weeks in the hospital, she underwent examination once again before being discharged. The doctors found accumulation of a mass around her liver. It was then they informed the parents about the gloomy prospects of her survival.

Last month, the doctors told Whelan that his daughter has very few days left as the cancer had spread to other parts of the body. So, the former electrician and his wife Nicki decided to withdraw her treatment and let her enjoy her short life.

Whelan also started a page titled Jessica Whelan- A Fight Against Neuroblastoma, that has garnered a whopping 35,525 likes so far. The father regularly posts pictures of his daughter on Facebook, highlighting awareness about childhood cancer.

The immense support on social media caught the attention of British singer and One Direction band member Harry Styles, who also contacted the family. Meanwhile, Andy Whelan has also set up a page CaringForJessica on popular fundraising website GoFundMe. As per the website a total of 47,602 pounds (Rs 39.25 lakh) have been raised.