Look out, Scottsboro. There's a new superhero in town, and he's got a knack for stealing the hearts and smiles of everyone who hears him.
Little Ethan Hubbard, or “Super Ethan,” is a three-year-old boy who has already been through more than most people can imagine.
His problems began three months ago with neck pain and fatigue.
His parents, Thomas and Laura Hubbard, of Scottsboro, took him to numerous doctors who suspected everything from growing pains to meningitis.
Last week, Ethan became very ill at school and again his parents had to take him to the emergency room.
“They did some blood work that day, thinking it might be meningitis,” Laura Hubbard said, “and when it all came back normal, they sent him off to another doctor.”
That night he cried all through the night.
“The next morning was a Saturday,” Hubbard continued, “I went to work for a little while. I came home and my husband and Ethan were lying on the couch, and my husband told me that Ethan had been sleeping all morning.”
Mr. Hubbard was so concerned about his son that he sent for him.
“I turned around and he was crawling towards me,” she said through tears. “I picked him up and he was so limp, like he had no bones or muscles. He started crying in pain.”
Then he started vomiting.
The Hubbards again rushed their son to Huntsville Children's Emergency Room, where doctors performed two MRIs.
The news was devastating: Ethan had a large brain tumor.
“We were there for a few hours,” Hubbard said, “and finally the doctor came in and showed us the MRI images.
“I don't know how to explain it,” she said. “I looked at his little brain and saw the images on it, and it was like it took up his whole brain. When we went to the hospital I was scared it was meningitis, but I never expected to hear it was a brain tumour.
“When I heard the news, I immediately broke down in tears,” she continued, “but then the doctor pulled us aside and said, 'Ethan knows how you're feeling, he can see it in your face, so you have to be strong for him.'”
Within 20 minutes, Ethan and his mother were in an ambulance on the way to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
“My husband had to go home to get some things, so he was in the ambulance alone, along with Ethan and me, so we both had time to process what was going on.”
Within minutes, a prayer circle began among Hubbard's family and friends.
Suddenly, Hubbard said, he felt a suit of armor surround him.
“I really felt like I was on a cloud,” she said. “The peace of God filled me. I realized that I could actually comfort other people.”
“I never thought I had that kind of strength,” she continued, “I never thought I'd have that kind of strength, but I know it's all because of the prayers and people encouraging us.”
Teachers at First Baptist Learning Center immediately began sending out messages on Facebook asking for prayers for Ethan and his family.
“When we got to the hospital in Memphis, the people there made us feel so welcome,” Hubbard said. “Everybody knew his name, the nurses cried with me, they prayed with me. I can't tell you how wonderful they were to us.”
Ethan underwent surgery on Monday, February 24th to remove a brain tumor.
Doctors are fairly certain it's not malignant, but little Super Ethan still has a long way to go before he makes a full recovery.
In his hometown of Scottsboro, townspeople have begun an initiative to help families with living expenses.
When Lisa Garrett, owner of Payne's Sandwich Shop & Soda Fountain in Scottsboro, heard about little Ethan's plight, she wanted to help.
“My daughter, Charlize, goes to the same school as Ethan,” she says, “so I wanted to reach out and help in any way I could. That's what communities should do for themselves.”
Not knowing that Ethan was nicknamed “Super Ethan” due to his love of superheroes and his penchant for wearing superhero capes and masks, Garrett came up with the idea to sell “Superman Sundaes” to directly benefit the Hubbard family.
“It must have been a blessing from God,” she said. “I found these cute Superman cups at Walmart and thought I could buy a bunch and put some sundaes in them and make a great souvenir to remember Ethan by.”
On the first day that the “Superman Sundaes” were on sale at Payne's, 48 were sold.
Sundaes are $3 each, with all proceeds going to the Hubbard family.
Teachers at Ethan's school also found ways to help.
“We're designing T-shirts for Ethan that will be available for purchase next week,” said Lisa Winninger, the center's director.
“We also asked every child at school to make a card for Ethan,” she continued, “and then money started coming in from parents and grandparents who wanted to help.”
On Thursday, just three days after Ethan's surgery, Winninger and Ethan's teachers, Elizabeth Washington and Susan Jonathan, headed to Memphis with a bunch of surprises.
“We collected all these cards from kids at school,” Winninger said, “and a group of women who work at Walmart bought him a LeapPad. He was so excited and amazed to see us.”
According to his mother, Super Ethan is recovering well but has some complications, including swelling in his legs, which will keep him in bed for the time being.
“He wants to get up and play but he can't right now. He went to the toy room at the hospital yesterday and was really excited,” she said.
Currently, Ethan's father is unemployed and his mother works at Skyline Monuments Company.
Anyone wishing to help with expenses for the Hubbard family can call First Baptist Learning Center at 256-574-1012.
The T-shirts are $15 and will be available for purchase at the center starting next week.
Payne's in Scottsboro is offering the Superman Sundae during regular business hours and you can make it just the way you like it.
The family asks for prayers.
“I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for us,” Hubbard said. “I wish I could meet each and every one of you in person and thank you. We are so blessed and we love you all.”
Ethan, who attends the First Baptist Church Learning Center in Scottsboro, had been complaining of severe neck pain for several days and after visiting numerous doctors, he was diagnosed with a large brain tumor.
“We never expected a brain tumor,” his mother, Laura Hubbard, said. “When we saw the pictures of him with this huge tumor in his tiny brain, it was so scary. I can't even describe what it felt like.”
Doctors at Huntsville Hospital Children's Emergency Room quickly transported Ethan by ambulance to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
