A soccer ball to the midsection may’ve saved a South Carolina boy’s life.
Teenage soccer player Westley Peterson had to go to the doctor’s after suffering an unusual injury in practice.
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It turned out the injury was fortuitous, as exams revealed a Wilms tumor in one of his kidneys. The kidney’s since been removed, and Peterson had his last radiation treatment on Monday.
From Fox 46 Charlotte:“We were warming up and kicking the ball back and forth and I just kicked it to my friend and he kicked it back, and it hit me in the stomach,” Westley explained.
Two days later Westley found blood in his urine. His parents immediately took him to the E.R. and a CT scan, uncovered the tumor.
“I think everything happens for a reason, and I think getting hit with the soccer ball led us down the path to find the tumor before it spread,” Janet Peterson said.
Westley Peterson plans on returning to the pitch, and has raised $3,300 of his $20,000 GoFundMe goal to pay for his treatments.