Make sure you’ve got a tissue roll at arm's length, folks – as this touching story of a brave two year old boy may leave you feeling both heartbroken and moved at the same time.

Parents of a toddler diagnosed with cancer have shared the emotional moment he reacted to his dad’s 'knock knock' joke after a surgery that could have left him brain dead.

The little boy, Joey Potter, underwent a difficult operation to remove a tumour, half of his liver, and about a third of his diaphragm back in April.

His parents Jack Potter and Kitty Cook anxiously waited for him to wake up afterwards.

Despite barely being able to open his eyes after the massive blood transfusion to save his life, Joey couldn’t help but respond to his dad's 'knock knock' joke.

“Knock knock,” Jack said.

“Who's there?” Joey weakly replied.

“The interrupting cow.”

“Moo.”

Mr Potter confessed that he burst out crying when he heard the response.

The brave and strong, little Joey. Image Credit: Youtube, DailyMail​

Joey's parents have always admired his strength. At only six months old, the little boy was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

He previously underwent surgery to remove a tumour and his right kidney, which seemed to have successfully cured the disease.

However, in March this year, the couple was informed that the cancer was back and that the survival rate for relapses of this type of growth, a Wilms tumour, was down to only 50 percent.

According to Mayo Clinic, Wilms' tumour is a rare type of kidney cancer that primarily affects children. It’s often detected in just one kidney but it can be found in both kidneys as well.

The heartbreaking news left the couple with no choice but to prepare Joey for a second operation, this time to remove a 6-centimetre tumour, half of his liver, and a third of his diaphragm.

Even though the operation 'went terribly', it also saved Joey’s life.

A piece of scar tissue from the first operation was attached to his biggest vein which caused a tear as they were operating.

The couple adores Joey’s strength. Image Credit: Youtube​

The surgeons only had a few seconds to work with and a blood transfusion amounting to three times his normal circulating blood volume was needed.

They took about 45 minutes to stabilise his condition but feared that the immense blood loss could have left him with fatal brain damage.

It was until Joey muttered his first words after the operation that proved he won the fight.

While the operation successfully removed the tumour, Joey still has a long way to go with chemotherapy and several more trips to the hospital.

“The first round of chemotherapy is done. It took quite a while for him to recover and he's a bit more timid and withdrawn than his usual self. I guess with anyone it takes time to get back to your full level of function,” Mr Potter explained.

“After his first chemotherapy cycle, it went as well as you could hope for. He wasn't too unwell but it has a more cumulative effect so it builds up.”

“The treatment plan is not finalised but at this stage, he has to do ten, three-week cycles so 30 weeks but that could easily balloon out if he gets unwell.”

“A week after the chemo, he wasn't eating much and we were worried about him losing weight because that's a big indicator for kids.”

Joey needs to be cancer-free for five consecutive years before doctors can confidently declare that he has beaten it. It’s something that his parents are sure the strong and energetic toddler can overcome.

We all believe in you, Joey! Image Credit: Youtube​

“He's back out on the trampoline again now and we have a little waterway in the park near our house that he's been stomping around in and we've lit some backyard campfires, so doing all that stuff kids love.”

“Tomorrow his round second of chemo starts. He's already starting to get some of those classic side effects. His baby sister Juna will grab at his hair and a handful just comes out.”

“He's good with her, he watches over her and is quite mature for a two-and-a-half-year-old. She'll be playing with a toy and it will scoot away from her and he will pick it up and bring it back to her.”

The family’s local community has shown massive support for little Joey, which Mr Potter said was very humbling.

“All the support has been amazing. His daycare put up a hospital donation box and we got a double bed for his room because we'll be expecting to sleep in there with him when he's unwell. They gave us sheets and people have been cooking us meals and hanging out.”

A few of their friends even set up a ‘GoFundMe’ page which allows the family to receive donations to help cover a portion of Joey’s medical expenses. This followed after the couple temporarily stepped away from work to fully support Joey throughout his treatment.

“A lot of my friends and I have backgrounds in the creative industry and one friend even made a great video.”

“We just really want to say thank you to everyone who has been so generous with their time and resources.”

He mentioned how he felt for the other families struggling with a similar situation as well.

“Every night in out-patient treatment, there a couple of hundred families battling similar things. Our hearts go out to them as well.”

We’re not even going to deny how emotional Joey’s story made us. What are your thoughts on this article? Share them with us in the comments.

Get to know more about Joey’s story by watching the video below:

Video Credit: Shipping Container Studios​

 

[margie]

 

[Ricci]

Sending lots of love to the little fella, hope he starts to thrive real soon,