For 7-year-old Ethan, Bobby Farnham (pictured here) is a superhero — someone who came out of thin air and made an incredible impact on Ethan and his battle against cancer. Ethan was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2011. Since then, he has been plucked from his normal routine and thrown into a world of chemotherapy treatments, medical tests and hospital visits. Then Bobby Farnham, senior assistant captain of the Brown University ice hockey team, came into Ethan’s life.
Ethan and Bobby met through the New England-based nonprofit Team IMPACT, which matches children battling life-threatening illnesses with college athletic teams. Ethan was “drafted” onto the Brown hockey team.
Bobby has led the charge in supporting Ethan. Bobby has taught Ethan that he is not alone in his fight against leukemia. Whenever Ethan is overwhelmed by his situation, Bobby is there to console him.
In the words of Ethan’s dad, “There is not a day goes by when he doesn’t ask for Bobby and the guys on the team. This has been incredible not only for him but for the entire family. It is the best therapy imaginable.”
