JESSICA JONES & POWER RANGERS Star Eka Darville Reveals 9-y/o Son's Brain Cancer Diagnosis; Starts GoFundMe

In a heartbreaking update, former Jessica Jones and Power Rangers RPM star Eka Darville has revealed that his nine-year-old son is currently battling a very rare form of brain cancer...

By KingPatel - Mar 13, 2023 09:03 AM EST

Filed Under: Power Rangers

Australian actor Eka Darville (Marvel's Jessica Jones; Power Rangers R.P.M.) has revealed that his nine-year-old son Mana has been diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of brain cancer.

It's described as a glioneuronal tumor with genetic mutations usually only seen in glioblastomas, and, unfortunately, because of how rare the cancer is, there were no proven treatment options available for them locally in Australia.

In their global search for a cure, they were able to locate two clinics in the United States that do have a strong success rate in treating the "incurable" in young children and are now looking to admit Mana to one of these locations as soon as possible.

However, due to the expensive nature of the treatment and rehabilitation, Darville and his family have launched a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for Mana's fight against cancer. If you wish to contribute, here's the donation [LINK].

His former Marvel co-stars Krysten Ritter and Deborah Ann Woll have also expressed their support and shared the Darville family's story on their respective Instagram pages.

Darville is best known for his role as Malcolm Ducasse in Marvel's Jessica Jones and Marvel's The Defenders, and as the Red Ranger Scott Truman in Power Rangers R.P.M., a role he later reprised in Power Rangers Samurai. He also appeared in Spartacus, Terra Nova, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Empire, Her Smell, and Tell Me a Story, and can be seen next in Wes Ball's Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which is due out in 2024.

Read on for Mana's full story:

Our son Mana needs your help. Right now, he is in the fight of his life against multiple malignant brain tumors.

Anyone who has met Mana will agree that keeping him here is something worth fighting for.

In July 2022 our lives were turned upside down. Mana collapsed on the beach with a massive seizure that left the right side of his body paralyzed. At the time, he was misdiagnosed with Focal Cortical Dysplasia, a brain abnormality that had supposedly been there since birth. We implemented everything possible to try stop the seizures, but for the next 6 months, Mana continued to suffer daily uncontrolled episodes.

On the 18th of January 2023 we found ourselves back in the emergency room. To our absolute horror an MRI revealed two large masses in Mana’s brain; one the size of a peach and the other a walnut. Tumors, now growing across the surface of our son's brain.

We were immediately rushed into emergency surgery and our little warrior survived over 13 hours in theatre. But even in the hands of our world-class surgeon, only 60% of one mass was able to be removed.

The tumor tissue was sent to the best diagnostic laboratories in the world, with the hope of finally knowing what type of cancer we’re dealing with. But after cross-referencing the genetics and morphological features against the entire Australasian, European and select American databases, there are zero matches to what they are seeing. In true Mana style, this is one of a kind.

In our most recent oncologist meeting, we were told that he has high-grade aggressive brain cancer. It is some form of glioneuronal tumor with genetic mutations usually only seen in glioblastomas. Then to our shock, they said, "without knowing what it is, we cannot responsibly offer you ANYTHING in terms of treatment. We are so sorry we can’t be more helpful…”

So it’s now up to us to find a cure for our boy.

We’ve left no stone unturned in our global search for solutions.

We’ve found two clinics in the US that are having stunning success treating paediatrics and curing the “incurable.” We are in contact with families of kids with similar diagnoses as Mana who are now in full remission. Halleluja!!

The cutting-edge treatments at both of these clinics cost between $17,000 - $35,000 USD per month. Each.

Neither are covered by insurance.

There is no number too high for Mana.

We need to raise enough to cover the first 9 -12 months of treatment, plus medical devices, medications, international travel/accommodation and childcare for our other two boys.

Once in remission, we’ll still have the monumental task of rehabilitating the extensive neurological damage as he learns to walk and move his right arm/hand again.

All of this will take time and unwavering dedication. Until Mana is well, we both will be exclusively caring for Mana and administering the hourly treatments he requires.

All funds will go directly to supporting us Heal Mana.

Help us move mountains to keep this magical little boy with us.

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