Alva Review-Courier -

LENOIR, N.C. (AP) — The last thing Lisa Hodges expected after her son experienced continuous exhaustion and sickness for two and a half months was cancer.

"He had sinus infections, pink eye, an ear infection, strep throat," she said. "We had gone on vacation and came back, and he had an ear infection, and we thought, 'Oh, he picked up something on vacation.'"

Ethan Hodges, who was 11 years old at the time of his diagnosis, also has asthma and allergies, which she thought was just contributing to his illnesses and exhaustion.

"I was really tired all the time, and when I'd go to P.E. and play, I...