Cancer is one of the biggest battles that any of us could ever fight, and it’s unfortunately common. It’s estimated that nearly 40% of men and women will be diagnosed at some point in their lifetime.
In the unfairest cases, cancer targets children and teens – and the battle for survival becomes all the more important.
The parents of children who are diagnosed with cancer will have to face up to their child’s illness just as much as the child themselves, and the going can get incredibly tough.
Seeing a child going through so much can’t be pleasant, but finding ways to make light of the situation is important for all involved.
One man who knows that more than most is Chuck Yielding. His 14-year-old son, Aiden, was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, and with the new hospital restrictions in place, only Aiden’s one parent was able to stay in hospital with Aiden.
Chuck and his wife, Lori, decided that Lori should stay with Aiden throughout his treatment – but that didn’t mean that Chuck couldn’t see his son at all.
According to Cook Medical Hospital, every Tuesday while Aiden’s mom joins him for cancer treatment, Chuck stands outside and dances to lift Aiden’s spirits.
Chuck’s dancing is like dad dancing on steroids. He does the chicken dance, the Saturday Night Fever dance, and a whole selection of the latest and greatest trending dance moves.
He must have seriously done his research to impress his son with such a variety of moves – and to see his son smile from his hospital window.
Speaking to CBS affiliate KTVT, Chuck said:
“Just anything to bring his spirits up a little bit, and let him know he is not alone. We are with him.”
Dancing in the middle of a busy car park, where anyone from the hospital would have a good view of his embarrassing performance, certainly shows how much Chuck must love his son.
And Chuck is committed, too, heading for the window that’s nearest to his son and setting up a tripod to record his dance moves, which he sends through to Aiden for better viewing.
Some of Chuck’s best dances have been recorded and shared to Cook Children’s Facebook Page, and the footage is heartwarming stuff.
In the video, Chuck can be seen pulling off his moves, from the robot to the sprinkler – wearing a luminous orange outfit with flame-print trousers. There’s no missing him, even from right up high in Aiden’s viewing spot.
Aiden laughs at his dad, and copies along with some of the moves. You can tell that the pair have an unbreakable bond, both by Chuck’s commitment and the way that Aiden’s whole face lights up when he sees his dad in action.
According to Aiden, it’s funny figuring out what move his dad is going to pull off next. He added:
“It just cheers me up sometimes.”
Dealing with a cancer diagnosis is hardly a walk in the park, but thanks to his weekly dancing dates with his dad, Aiden has a reason to smile. And it’s given other people a reason to smile, too – on Facebook, the video currently has 51k reactions and nearly 4,000 comments.
You can watch the highlight reel of Aiden’s best moves in the clip below.
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