UT Arlington Basketball Team Creates Bond With 7-Year-Old Fan Battling Cancer
ARLINGTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - For 7-year-old Jaxon Whitfield, rooting on the UT Arlington men's basketball team is something that comes naturally.
Jaxon was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in April of 2018 and the team has unofficially adopted him as a member of the squad.
Less than a month after the diagnosis, his cancer was in remission, and he's set to complete treatment by the end of this summer. But whenever he's needed a pick me up, the Mavs have been there.
At a recent game, Jaxon got to ring the Victory Bell, an honor normally reserved for alumni.
It showed how much of an impact his presence has had on the team.
"They're just really nice and they're just fun to talk to sometimes," said Jaxon.
His mom Jessie, and father Jonathan, couldn't been any more proud that their son is nearly at the end of his victorious battle.
The players say it's hard to have a bad day when he's around.
"He always has a smile on his face. You can never have a bad day when Jaxon's around," said UTA guard McCade Marquis.
"I love being close to community and Jaxon has been my favorite thing by far," added UTA forward Coleman Sparling.
Jaxon's message to other kids battling any ailment is, "It's hard but you can go through it."
He's already a champion who will turn 8 in May.