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 For two years, 7-year-old Vinny Desautels grew out his hair to help kids with cancer. 
 
 "I want to help people so they don't have to go to the doctors to fight cancer." 
 
 Thirteen inches of hair was gone with the snip of some scissors. 
 
 "And then everyone got excited when mom cut the ponytails off. I was happy," Vinny said. 
 
 He was happy to help, a moment of selfless service, asking for nothing in return. 
 
 "During that time he was mistaken for a girl many times, but Vinny took it like a champ and was like, 'Nah, I'm a boy," said Vinny's dad, Jason. 
 
 But life can sometimes take a cruel turn. 
 
 "My eye was getting heavy." 
 
 "It is Stage 4 aggressive cancer," said Jason. 
 
 A little boy who gave selflessly to help those suffering with cancer is now battling the disease himself. 
 
 "Basically, what they found is that he has a significant growth on his hip and in the bone around the eye and behind the nose and on the cheek on the right side," said Jason. 
 
 The sweet 7-year-old is optimistic, but ever the realist as he tries to make sense of the diagnosis. 
 
 "Well, the veins from my hip are traveling to another place right behind my eye and it's making it squinty." 
 
 Squinty, and tough to see, perhaps, but one thing is clear - Vinny is a fighter and he won't be in this battle alone. 
 
 "As long as we are doing this as a family, we got this," said family member Amanda Azevedo. 
 
 Doctors are still trying to identify what type of cancer Vinny has. 
 
 A GoFundMe has been set up to pay for the youngster's treatment. ||||| Please enable Javascript to watch this video 
 
 ROSEVILLE -- For two years, 7-year-old Vinny Desautels grew out his hair to help kids with cancer. 
 
 "I want to help people so they don't have to go to the doctors to fight cancer," he said. 
 
 Thirteen inches of hair gone with the snip of some scissors. 
 
 "And then everyone got excited when mom cut the ponytails off. I was happy," Vinny said. 
 
 He was happy to help, a moment of selfless service, asking for nothing in return. 
 
 "During that time he was mistaken for a girl many times, but Vinny took it like a champ and was like, 'Nah, I'm a boy," Vinny's dad, Jason Desautels, said. 
 
 But life can sometimes take a cruel turn. 
 
 "My eye was getting heavy," Vinny said. 
 
 "It is stage 4 aggressive cancer," Jason Desautels said. 
 
 A little boy who gave selflessly to help those suffering with cancer is now battling the disease himself. 
 
 "Basically, what they found is that he has a significant growth on his hip and in the bone around the eye and behind the nose and on the cheek on the right side," Jason Desautels said. 
 
 The sweet 7-year-old is optimistic, but ever the realist -- trying to make sense of the diagnosis. 
 
 "Well, the veins from my hip are traveling to another place right behind my eye and it's making it squinty," Vinny said. 
 
 Squinty, and tough to see, perhaps, but one thing is clear -- Vinny is a fighter and he won't be in this battle alone. 
 
 "As long as we are doing this as a family, we got this," said Vinny's mother Amanda Azevedo. 
 
 Doctors are still trying to identify what type of cancer Vinny has. 
 
 If you're able to help the family during this difficult time, they said they would greatly appreciate the support. Donate here: www.gofundme.com/vinnyd ||||| Boy, 7, who donated his hair to child cancer patients is diagnosed with metastatic cancer 
 
 Vinny Desautels. Vinny Desautels. 
 
 For two years, Vinny Desautels grew out his hair to donate to children with cancer who have lost their hair during treatment. The 7 year old Roseville, California boy was recently diagnosed with an unknown form of metastatic cancer, according to reports from his family and in local news. 
 
 “Doctors are still trying to identify what type of cancer Vinny has,” reports KTLA. 
 
 For two years, 7-year-old Vinny Desautels grew out his hair to help kids with cancer. "I want to help people so they don't have to go to the doctors to fight cancer," he said. Thirteen inches of hair gone with the snip of some scissors. "And then everyone got excited when mom cut the ponytails off. I was happy," Vinny said. He was happy to help, a moment of selfless service, asking for nothing in return. "During that time he was mistaken for a girl many times, but Vinny took it like a champ and was like, 'Nah, I'm a boy," Vinny's dad, Jason Desautels, said. But life can sometimes take a cruel turn. "My eye was getting heavy," Vinny said. "It is stage 4 aggressive cancer," Jason Desautels said. 
 
 The family shares this on Vinny's GoFundMe page. 
 
 Our precious grandson, Vinny Desautels, is fighting a battle that no child should have to fight - the fight against cancer. 
 
 Vinny is 7 1/2 years old and in 2nd. grade. He is tender-hearted and so loving. He recently donated his hair to "wigs for kids with cancer". Even though he was teased throughout the 2 years of growing his hair out, it didn't deter him from his mission...to help a child in need. On Thursday Vinny came home from school complaining about knee pain. When getting ready to take a shower his parents noticed a significant lump on his right hip and brought him to the emergency room. A large growth was identified on his Iliac bone. The next day Friday Vinny had an eye doctors appointment for a swollen eye that has been getting progressively worse over the course of a month ( originally thought to be allergies).They told Dr Martel about the previous evening and how he needed to go back to the doctors about the hip, and were concerned the two might be related. Doc agreed and got the ball rolling for them. They're at Sutter Medical Downtown Sacramento. They're still conducting tests on Vinny. They have identified another malignant mass on the eye that appears to be aggressive. Vinny is taking all of this like a brave little turd. There are many more tests ahead and they're in the hospital for an undetermined amount of time. We have started this Go Fund Me account to ease the burden of his parents, Jason and Amanda. Amanda is six months pregnant and Jason is a combat veteran. Over the next days, weeks, and months ahead they will need to be at countless doctor appointments, hospital stays and surgeries. As you can imagine the normal costs of every day living...such as rent, food, gas, car, etc...the medical costs can be astronomical. 
 
 Note: Sometimes, viral stories like this about cancer turn out to not be exactly what they seem. I have no insight or ability to fact-check this story, but share it because it certainly seems legit, and truly horrible. Also: We don't have to make this child a hero, or a fighter, or someone who's "battling" and "got this." Cancer patients don't have to be superheroes. We are just people whose bodies are going through a shitty disease. People who deserve affordable, accessible medical care. How great would it be if this child's parents didn't have to launch a viral internet crowdfunding campaign so that their son can receive cancer treatment, and without them going bankrupt? 
 
 [Fox40]
– Vinny Desautels, a 7-year-old 2nd-grader in northern California, spent two years of his life growing out his hair to donate it to a child with cancer—even though some kids teased him for looking like a girl. "I want to help people so they don't have to go to the doctors to fight cancer," he tells KTLA. Now the boy finds himself in the very shoes he wished no kid would have to fill as he faces his own battle with aggressive stage 4 cancer, reports Fox40. Recently diagnosed with metastatic cancer (meaning simply that it has spread) after his parents grew concerned about a droopy eyelid and large lump on his hip, Vinny's docs have yet to identify the exact type. Vinny's grandparents set up a GoFundMe page to help the family survive what will surely be large medical bills, all while Vinny's father is a combat veteran and his mother is six months pregnant. Some 2,000 people have so far donated more than $75,000, and the parents admitted in their own update this week that while they appreciate the "extraordinary" support, "this is all new to us as a family and we don't want to lie to you we are a little uncomfortable—we're just a blue collar family who enjoys bbq's with friends, and fart jokes." Vinny, meanwhile, is taking it all in stride, though at Boing Boing, Xeni Jardin issues a note of caution: "We don't have to make this child a hero, or a fighter, or someone who's 'battling' and 'got this.' Cancer patients don't have to be superheroes. We are just people whose bodies are going through a s----- disease." (See what this 8-year-old boy managed to do in his final months with cancer.)