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Benjamin Lepage was taken to the emergency ward on June 1, 2018. The 13-year-old Saint-Joseph-du-Lac resident was having difficulty moving. Doctors discovered an 18-centimetre cancerous tumour in his abdomen.

He was brought to Ste-Justine Hospital for what his mother Cynthia Simoneau described as “a gigantic operation,” which went well; but the relief was short-lived.

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Benjamin was diagnosed with extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma, a very rare form of cancer that normally affects adults over 35, and for which no effective treatment is currently available.

By November, he had relapsed. Other masses had formed due to metastasis.

Thus began a series of aggressive chemotherapy protocols. The first two didn’t work, and the cancer continued to progress.

“He had a lot of side-effects,” Simoneau explained. “He developed thrombosis. It was very painful for him, with all the interventions. Despite all the pain and everything, he has been incredible. It’s unbelievable how strong he is.