Young cancer patient visits Grambling for his mission to get 1000 honorary law enforcement badges

GRAMBLING, La. ( KTVE / KARD ) — Twelve-year-old D.J. Daniel is a young man on a mission as he fights for his life against terminal brain cancer.

He has wanted to be a policeman ever since an encounter at a hurricane shelter in the Houston area where he was befriended by law enforcement.  His father Theodis Daniel says it’s been a fight for him ever since a tough diagnosis.

“We found out that he has stage three brain and spinal cancer called anaplastic adenoma grade three which is a very nasty and aggressive cancer.  So he’s had thirteen brain surgeries.  He’s had an advanced stage of cataracts they re-did his eyes.  He’s a study for the medicine that they’ve been writing about.”

D.J. has been traveling the globe collecting honorary police badges and he picked up another one along with a uniform at the Grambling State University Police Department.

“These law enforcement and law enforcement ceremonies has been proven beneficial to this child due to the grave nature and complexity of this disease and cancer.”

GSU Police Chief Rodney Demery relinquished his position for a day and says he admires the young man’s journey.

“We’re a huge family.  It’s amazing to see that he’s been to Europe he’s been to the east coast.  He’s been to the west coast.  He’s been all over and he’s still traveling.  It’s truly a calling.  He was born to be a policeman.”

“This is only a fraction of the 845 badges that D.J. has collected which will land him a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records”

At first the goal was 100 but he is now well onto the new goal of 1000 and expects to reach it within the next few months.

“I’m going to keep on going until my gas tank runs out.  And obviously that’s when God calls you home.  You never know when God’s going to call you home.”

Inspiring words for anyone to live by.

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