Acts of Kindness
Teen with terminal cancer dedicates the time he has left to supporting kids in the ways he never had
“It’s more painful to be silent.”
Cedric Jackson
12.11.19

Some people enter the world and seldom face challenges. Then there are others who go through one devastating event after another. Two of these include child abuse and bullying. In the United States alone, over four kids die from child abuse and neglect every single day. The majority of these children are less than three years old.

Then there’s bullying. Statistics show that one in four school-aged kids report someone bullying them. Remember, this can be verbal as well as physical. Bullying has a horrible effect on children, causing them to suffer from low self-esteem among other things.

Eric Erdman didn’t get a fair shake in life.

His struggles began at birth. Born 25 weeks premature, he was a mere two pounds. But that wasn’t the only issue Eric faced. He was also the victim of child abuse and as soon as he started going to school, other kids bullied him. Can you imagine facing both of these things at the same time?

Facebook/Give a Child a Voice-Eric Erdman
Source:
Facebook/Give a Child a Voice-Eric Erdman

Even bigger battles lied ahead.

All of that was hard enough but there was more to come for Eric. At just 16 years of age, he was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. The news was more unsettling than anyone could imagine. MRIs showed he had 19 tumors in his brain. In July 2019, the doctors gave Eric and his family even more devastating news…he only had six months to live.

Video Screenshot/The BL
Source:
Video Screenshot/The BL

Eric shared the horrible news on Facebook.

Talk about a remarkable young man. After receiving the news, he posted about it on his Facebook account. Eric stated, “My MRI that I had last week at St. Jude didn’t go as planned. Today, time is all I have left now. Three months ago, I had six tumors that were all stable, now those tumors are growing and I have 13 more, which in total, brings me to having 19 tumors in my head.”

Video Screenshot/The BL
Source:
Video Screenshot/The BL

He stayed strong and his spirit didn’t waver.

You would think with news like that, anyone would crumble, especially a 19-year-old. But not Eric. Instead of just lying in bed waiting to die, he kept working for an organization that he founded two years ago. Give a Child a Voice consists of partnerships with educators and various community programs to help kids who face rough situations.

Twitter/@CourtneyHighland
Source:
Twitter/@CourtneyHighland

He wants other kids to have an outlet — something he never had.

As Eric explained, “I felt like I was on an island. I bottled everything inside (when it came to the abuse and bullying). But I’ve come to realize it’s more painful to be silent. He doesn’t want abused and bullied kids to feel like they’re alone. Eric wants them to have a place to go where they don’t feel vulnerable.

Video Screenshot/The BL
Source:
Video Screenshot/The BL

The Make A Wish Foundation steps up.

Hearing about Eric’s story, the Make A Wish Foundation asked what they could do for him. In his selfless spirit, he didn’t want anything for himself but to have something done for others. His request…to have two gymnasiums built. He wanted one at the high school he attended and a second one at a rival school. That way, kids going through a tough time could go there when they “needed out.”

Twitter/@CourtneyHighland
Source:
Twitter/@CourtneyHighland

Twitter/@CourtneyHighland
As Eric puts it, he wants the two gyms, along with his foundation, to help empower children. He wants them to speak out instead of suffering through challenges alone. Although Eric only has a short time left to live, he offered himself to anyone who needed to talk. His short life is having a huge impact on other kids.

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Source: The BL

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