Child Development (news Clip Analysis)

Taylor Duley

EDUC 223

30 April 2015

News Clip Analysis

I read the article, “Texas Cop Drives 11 Hours, Dresses as Superman to Surprise Boy with Cancer,” written by Nicole Pellitiere on April 28, 2015.  A Dallas, Texas police senior corporal named Damon Cole was seen as a true superhero to a young boy.  This cop drove 11 hours to see this little boy just to see him simply smile.  Cole was successful because he put the biggest smile on that little boy’s face.  

He arrived at the boy’s house dressed as the superhero, Superman.  The little boy’s name is Bryce.  He, like many other seven-year-olds, absolutely loves superheroes so he was ecstatic about the visitation he received.  His love for superheroes is pretty typical for his age, but what’s not so typical is that Bryce is battling cancer.  His mother said, this past February, the doctors informed his family that he had “lymphoma cancer in his stomach and pelvic region and a tumor in his abdomen” (Pellitiere, 2015).  Bryce’s mother also mentioned that he was “supposed to start his fourth cycle of chemotherapy yesterday, but it appears that he has a minor infection in his lungs,” which sets him back from receiving the chemo (Pellitiere, 2015).  I think Cole showed up at a good time to see Bryce because he needed something to put a smile on his face.  The article mentioned that Bryce’s love for superheroes is one of the main things that are able to put a smile on his face.  

Cole is a big part of the organization “Heroes, Cops, and Kids” so he dresses up as a superhero quite often.  His car is even superhero themed and Bryce was able to see it.  He told ABC News that he tried his best to “go all out” to make the kids happy and impress them (Pellitiere, 2015).  Cole brought the biggest smile to Bryce’s face in so many ways, including the following: he gave him one of his superhero capes, showed him his car, also dressed up as Iron Man, told him he was a superhero, blew bubbles with him, played video games and cards, and he made plans to visit the St. Louis Children’s Hospital while wearing his Man of Steel costume for Bryce and the other patients (Pellitiere, 2015).  Cole enjoyed every minute of his time he spent with Bryce.

According to the “Signs of Childhood Cancer” from Ped-Onc Resource Center (2005), some of the signs and symptoms of Lymphoma include weakness or tiredness, unexplained fever and weight loss, trouble breathing, swollen lymph node, swelling of the face, and abdominal pain or swelling.  These signs and symptoms can impact his physical development and cognitive development.  Family, culture, and community all play a certain part in Bryce’s life, too.  On the other hand, Damon Cole has influenced Bryce’s emotional development.  

        Bryce’s recent past portion of his life has been a tough ride for him, but that doesn’t stop his from being positive.  Because of all his treatments and moments of being sick, his physical development may not be where other kids his age are.  At the middle childhood age, it’s typical for children to take part in things like riding bikes and playing sports (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2014).  I don’t know what Bryce is capable of, but I’m sure his cancer can get in the way of being able to participate in certain physical activities like the ones I mentioned.  He would have to be careful if he were to play organized sports because he’s more fragile than most kids his age.  When it comes to his cognitive development, he could get behind or already be behind in school due to his doctor appointment, chemotherapy cycles, and just not feeling well in general.  Those things would most likely cause him to miss quite a bit of school.          

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