'This is him telling me he is scared' - Heartbreaking image of childhood cancer featuring boy afraid of dying takes web by storm

'From the moment I found out I was pregnant till future forever, he has been my reason for life.'

Ten-year-old Drake Medinger should be running around with other children his age, caught up in laughter and play, but the tragically ill boy is trapped within the confines of his own body as he struggles to find the strength to stand and walk from one end of a room to the other.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - In September 2012, Drake was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

The disease is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood. As blood circulates throughout the body, it spreads quickly unless treated immediately.

Since his diagnosis, Drake has been in and out of hospitals, received chemotherapy treatments that leave him physically drained and have stolen his hair and appetite.

His mother, Jessica Medinger, decided his story deserved to be told. She knew he wasn't the only child to suffer the effects of cancer and its harsh treatment.

Much like Andy Whelan did with his daughter Jessica, Medinger posted an image of her son in pain and weakness to social media.

In the heartbreaking post on Facebook, Drake's mother shared the truth about childhood cancer and all of the ugliness and pain that comes with it:

"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.

"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."

This was this morning after carrying Drake to the bathroom. Yes, he is in a pull up because 75% of the time he can't control his bathroom habits. This is skin and bones, because I have to beg him to eat ONE green bean for supper, or drink a cup of water throughout the day.

"This is having your son sleep with you at night because he is afraid of something happening and being alone, and by something I mean dying.

"This is having middle of the night conversations with a ten year old, asking if he dies will he go to heaven and will he see his dad there and be able to talk and play with him. 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 dry heaving because his stomach is empty except for the spoonful of yogurt I just gave him with his pills.

"This is having to take 44 chemo pills last week in a matter of 24 hours. This is him telling me, 'mommy, I'm not going to make it.' This is him not wanting to be touched, because it hurts too much, and using morphine to get through his day.

"This is him telling me he is scared and thinks he won't see his 11th birthday. This is him and me, telling him that I will continue to fight for him when he can't. This is him and me, and our world. This is him, Drake, Stinky Joe, my whole world. From the moment I found out I was pregnant till future forever, he has been my reason for life. He is my smile, my love, my heartbeat. He is also my tears, my heart ache, my frowns. He is my life."

The post immediately went viral with over 401,000 reactions, 88,134 shares and over 48,000 comments.

Since starting treatment, Drake's health often fails but continues to improve. His appetite is slowly returning and his mother explained: "My son is stronger and braver than anyone else I know. He is a fighter and refuses to give up. NEVER GIVE UP, ALL DAY, EVERY DAY."

Drake is not dying - though he has been struggling with infections, dehydration and the harsh side effects of chemotherapy.

To keep up to date with his progress, please follow Stinky Joe's #1 Pit Crew on Facebook. If you would like to write a letter of love, please send it to:

Drake Medinger
C/O Ericka
PO Box 1725
Tomball, TX 77377-1725

All letters and gifts will be screened before being passed off to Drake and Love What Matters shared gift ideas for anyone interested in making Drake's painful world a bit brighter:

• ITUNES gift cards, he loves movies so we watch a lot on an ipad
• Anything 10 year old boys like
• **Charities in his honor, he has been truly blessed by the support, will be posting a list in the next few days of his favorite foundations**
• Shirt size is large in boys.
• He loves college football, GO HUSKERS!
• Soccer, he doesn't watch pro but loves kicking a ball around.
• PokĂ©mon
• Remote control cars and planes
• And prayers

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