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A fictional superhero has come to the rescue of a Utah boy. He's suffering from a rare form of cancer, and his family is giving Spiderman part of the credit for the little boy's success so far.
His father thought up a Spiderman imagination game to help 3-year-old Austin Shamy withstand chemotherapy. It also provided a theme for a Web site and a fundraising DVD as the family deals with a crushing financial burden.
Austin is a fun-loving kid with big problems. "My name's Austin. I have leukemia," he explained.
He has an extremely rare form of leukemia. His parents knew nothing about it until they noticed a severe bruise on his tummy.
It would have been a death sentence a few years ago. Now it's highly treatable, but the chemotherapy is a brutal experience for a little kid.
"It's amazing what you can handle. It's amazing what you can deal with," Austin's mother, Morgan, said.
Austin's father, Aaron, said, "You rally, you rise to the occasion, is the best way I can put it."
Aaron once was a champion speed rock climber, nicknamed Spiderman. To help his young son bear up under the stress in the hospital, he thought up a game. He pretended to help Austin fight monsters alongside his hero Spiderman.
"You know, he really, truly believed that he was fighting monsters in that hospital, and that Spiderman was there helping him," Morgan said.
"But really, it's made him stronger, it's made him competitive and it's given a lot of courage to take on this disease he has," Aaron said.
On Austin's third birthday, a surprise visitor -- someone the family didn't even know -- showed up after learning about Austin on the family Web site.
"We had a great birthday. He said 'Hi,' shot a few webs out of his wrists, and then he left. And I don't know how to get in contact with him," Aaron said.
Austin's spirits seem way up there now. But his family faces a financial ordeal with limited insurance. He needs massive doses of Vitamin A for 18 months.
"I haven't even opened the bills that have started to come, but in the millions," Aaron said. "You're looking at hundreds of dollars a pill, and he takes three pills a day."
This Saturday, friends and relatives are holding a 5K run to raise money for Austin's medical care. You can find the details, and more of the family's videos, by clicking the related link.
E-mail: jhollenhorst@ksl.com
