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Buckeye boy fights cancer for a third time

Posted at 10:01 PM, Nov 05, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-06 16:32:01-05

Six-year-old Alex Hernandez is the light of his mother's world, and it's not at all hard to see why.

"He's just full of energy. Even if you're sad, he has that big, big warm heart that no matter what you're going through, he's going to put your spirit up,” said Xochitl Lopez, Alex’s mother.

He’s only in the first grade, and already, Alex has had to fight more battles than many. He’s been diagnosed for the third time with cancer in his brain and spine.

"Everybody tells me there's no cure for it, just enjoy and make moments with him," Lopez said. And I'm not giving up — I'm not. There has to be somebody out there that could help me or help him fight through it."

Alex also has that fight within him. His former kindergarten teacher Aimee Singleterry can tell you that.

"Some of the older kids would see him and they'd say, ‘Aww look how small he is, look how cute he is. And he'd stand there with his hands on his hips and say, ‘No I'm not, I'm big,’” Singleterry said.

Even though he lives with a cancerous tumor in his brain — you wouldn't know it by the joy he shows. It's how he's living that's teaching others a lesson.

"He truly is changing lives at our school and lives in our community and just hearing his story,” Singleterry said.

His mother says chemotherapy was not re-approved as a treatment option.

Not knowing what Alex's future will look like brings more pain than any mother should have to imagine, but she also knows the joy of having such a special boy.

"It's amazing how he is, and I'm grateful," Lopez said. "I'm really, really grateful to God. I'm lucky to be his mom."

Singleterry has set up a donation page to help the family with medical costs.