A 5-year-old boy from Ohio was treated to the birthday surprise of a lifetime when his community rallied together to throw him a parade, Fox8 reported.
But Simon Ziemba had more than just this birthday milestone to celebrate, as he's also recently beaten his two-year battle with leukemia and has officially been declared cancer-free.
The news was especially heartbreaking as it came on the heels of finding out Simon also has autism.
“How can one little kid have to fight both of these," Autumn recalled of her reaction to the Cleveland Clinic. "He wasn’t even 3 years old.”
He also had to continue attending autism therapies at the same time.
“We would love to have had the luxury of just being able to focus on his cancer," Autumn said. "But he’s also a child with autism, and as his parents, we could not ignore his other condition.”
However, the outbreak has actually managed to speed up the young boy's treatment process, and his doctors have now decided he no longer needs to undergo chemo.
“After several long talks with his oncologist in early March, we decided with the risk of COVID-19, it was best to end treatment early, in an effort to boost his immune system during this dangerous situation," Autumn told Fox8. "Not exactly the time or way we thought we’d be finishing treatment, but exciting nonetheless,” she said.
Although virus concerns means he's unable to physically ring the hospital's bell signalling the end of his treatment, Simon has officially been declared cancer-free.
As it turns out, he's a pretty big fan of firefighters, so with the help of the Cleveland chapter of the Special Wish Foundation, Simon was treated to a spectacular birthday parade, complete with big red firetrucks from the local fire department honking and ringing their bells.
Also in attendance were police cruisers, a S.W.A.T. car, and even the local mayor who all came out to make Simon's big day as special as possible.
Autumn shared photos from the joyous occasion on her Instagram where she wrote, "You are our collective rock. You made this the most special, most memorable birthday for Simon, and an immense bright moment in this journey."
h/t: Fox8, Cleveland Clinic
