By Joanna Margulies, March 31, 2023

No parent expects that common symptoms of illness will be more than just that. When Einat Dado Baralia’s son Shir began exhibiting symptoms that were nothing too out of the ordinary, she was ultimately blindsided when his symptoms led to a diagnosis of a fatal childhood cancer.

Shir was just a toddler when he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a cancer primarily affecting children under the age of five. Had his mother brushed off his symptoms as “just little kid things,” her son’s fight for his life might have come to a close much sooner.

Shir had exhibited symptoms that were frequently associated with “kid things,” including but not limited to diarrhea. However, that tummy ache did not subside. His continued excretion was not necessarily more alarming than other symptoms, but his mother knew that she would not wait for it to pass before having him checked out by his doctor.