Boy with Cancer Becomes Comic Book Superhero

To make it easier to deal with his chemotherapy and radiation treatments, a seven-year-old boy learned to imagine himself as a superhero. Now, there's a comic book featuring his adventures to help other sick children.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on October 08 2009

Proceeds from the sale of The Dominator benefit children's cancer research. Image: Getz-Calandra Productions

At seven years old, Dominic Osorio is too young to understand that there is a cancerous tumor growing in his brain, or to understand the effects of his painful chemotherapy and radiation treatments. So Dominic’s mother put his disease in terms he could understand: instead of a sick child, she told Dominic that he was a superhero, the Dominator.

During his radiation treatments, “he could not move, so he would change identities and be the Dominator battling an enemy he called a megazoid,” Monique Spagna, Dominic’s grandmother, told the Baltimore Sun. Thanks to his superhero persona, Dominic managed to get through weeks of radiation treatment without complaining.

Dominic’s doctors and nurses were inspired by his stoicism—and so was Dave Anderson, manager of a Baltimore restaurant that Dominic’s family often went to. The more he learned about Dominic’s illness, the more determined he became to help. “People need to hear this kid’s story,” he said. “He is a real motivator. All kids are our motivators, and they are what is important.”

After learning about Dominic’s alter ego, Anderson decided to create a comic book about the Dominator, based on Dominic’s real-life experiences with his illness. The book, which he created with help from Getz-Calandra Productions, is intended for children with illnesses that require hospitalization, and is intended to help them feel better about the often frightening experience. Anderson paid $9,000 to create and publish 2,000 copies of the comic book. Already, he has sold 1000 copies at $5 each, with proceeds going to a children’s cancer charity.

“The more I got into this, the more I knew it was a powerful thing,” he said. “I am dedicating ‘The Dominator’ to making sure that kids like Dominic have everything they need.”

Since Dominic’s comic book came out, the child’s tumor has continued to progress, and he has lost consciousness. But no matter what direction his narrative may take, “he really is the superhero in this story,” said Anderson. “This one little boy has touched many lives.”

Filed under: Arts and Culture, General Interest, Heroes,

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