Jennifer Wudyka, 35, carries her son Ethan Wudyka, 8, from the living room couch to his bed. Ethan can no longer walk on his own; he can walk very short distances with his walker but primarily uses a wheel chair for mobilization. Ethan's room is decorated with notes and trinkets people have sent to him since being diagnosed with Gliomatosis Cerebri, an insurable brain cancer.
The Strongest Little Boy
What do you call a snail on a ship?
A snailor. This was the first joke, eight-year-old, Ethan Wudyka, a lover of hugs, Sponge Bob, and his family, told me while visiting him. Ethan battled Gliomatosis Cerebri, an incurable brain cancer, and gained an army of supports along the way.
Ethan greats a new stuffed animal cat, Butterscotch, after getting his port accessed and his G-Tube (feeding tube) changed in the Devos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Mich. "Here you go buddy, here is a kity cat for you since we can't bring Cha Cha or Gracie with us here," said Ellery Wudyka. Cha Cha, the family cat is very protective of Ethan, he perches on the arm of the couch or snuggles on his lap when he is at home.
Up nine floors in the Helen Devos Children’s Hospital, after two days of laying in bed, Ethan takes a ride down to the lobby and gift shop. The sound of SpongeBob SquarePants creeps out the crack in Ethan's door. The sound of Patrick Star's laugh on the show grows faint as his parents and best friend, Grace Crooks, make their way to the elevator doors.
Ellery Wudyka holds down Ethan's arms and watches as a nurse accesses his port in his hospital room at Helen Devos Chrildren's Hospital. Ethan went to McLaren-Central Michigan Hospital for low oxygen then later transferred to Devos after thinking that he had caught phenomena. Jennifer, Ethan's mother left the room because it was painful for her to hear him grunt ow at the top his lungs from the pain.
Double checking the long list, Ellery slides a finger down Ethan's night time medication names before administering the eight tubes of meds from the various side effects of his brain cancer.
In the lobby of Helen Devos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Mich. Grace Crooks adjusts Ethan's stethoscope into his ears for him to listen to her heart beat. Grace explained their friendship at his funeral service, as one that started in an empty seat on their school bus and grew over their mutual love of dancing and jokes.
On the pull out couch in room 909 at Helen Devos Children's Hospital, Ellery takes a nap as Jen plays rock paper scissors with Ethan. Jen and Ellery did not get any sleep the night before because Ethan went to McLaren-Central Michigan Hospital for low oxygen then later transferred to Devos after showing signs of having phenomena.
Ethan holds his mother, Jennifer Wudyka's hand while getting his medication before bed. It is a nightly routine to carry him into his room, snuggle him in, give him his medication and then wish him goodnight, said Jen.
Jameson Wudyka, 9, Ethans older brother, plays video games with a neighbor from their apartment complex as Ethan rest on the couch.
Ellery hugs Ethan after having his port accessed and G-Tube changed at Devos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Mich. Ellery is a veteran and served in the Army in 1990, "I have PTSD of sorts with Ethan, I had to save his life once and it scared me," said Ellery. "It was like a movie; the paramedics were here, the kids were crying, it was hectic," said Jen.
Ethan Wudyjka died on January 28, 2015 in the Helen Devos Children's Hospital. His remains were surrounded by a few of his favorite things at his service with family, friends, teachers and classmates at Clark Family Funeral Chapel the following week.
Jameson sits on his parents bed and practices playing the cello as his father is out smoking a cigarette on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015. Items that were in Ethan's bedroom still hang in the room that him and Jameson used to share. Jameson moved his bed into the living room once Ethan's cancer forced him to use a hospital bed. Every room in their apartment adorns photos of Ethan and gifts he received from Ethan's Army.
Jennifer clenches her eyes closed in pain as she gets a memorial tattoo of Ethan's thumb prints in the shape of a heart on her forearm on February 25, 2015. On her chest lies a heart necklace with with Ethan’s finger prints engraved on the silver and his remains inside.