AKRON, Ohio — A few months ago, Rayshawn Mims received news that no parent wants to hear. His 7-year-old son, Ahkeem, was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer.
What You Need To Know
- A father shaved his dreadlocks to show support for his son battling cancer
- Ahkeem, 7, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer
- The father went viral from a Facebook live video of him shaving his dreadlocks
- Point 4 goes here
“He had a limp for about a week and was complaining about some soreness, some tenderness in his leg,” Mims said. “We took him to the emergency room, and once they came back with the x-rays, they instantly told us there was some bone deterioration going on.”
When Mims first heard the news, he was devastated.
“Oh, man, it was just heart-crushing to be honest, like, that amount of vulnerability I felt, like, just knowing that it was something that was out of my hands, something I couldn’t alleviate myself,” he said. “It was just overwhelming, it was heartbreaking to be honest. It still is.”
But there was something Mims knew he could do for his child that would make him feel more confident after Ahkeem lost his hair due to chemotherapy.
“He wanted hats to keep it covered up, he didn’t really want anyone to see it. He just became immediately self-conscious,” Mims said.
Mims decided to shave off the dreadlocks that he had been growing for almost a decade to show support to his son.
“Honestly, this was just filled with love, that was my only thought, that hopefully this will uplift him a little bit and hopefully he will have a little bit more self confidence in himself with matching baldies,” Mims said with a laugh.
Mims decided to share the moment with his family on Facebook Live. Little did he know, the video would go viral, amassing nearly 700,000 views.
“I’m going cut my hair with you because anything that you have to go through, I got to go through with you, and you got to stay strong and I got to stay strong with you,” Mims said in the video.
He also said the strength that Ahkeem shows daily never fails to surprise him.
“Especially his strength while we are at the hospital and we are going through these treatments and he is still able to maintain a positive attitude and a smile through it all,” Mims said. “He is a trickster. He plays pranks on the nurses and everything, like, through it all and that in itself, gives me power, it is empowering to me and I pull strength from him sometimes.”
The family has a go fund me page under Ahkeem Strong.
