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Local Couple Find Inspiration As Child Battles Cancer

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) —As CBS 3 hosts the annual Alex Scott: A Stand For Hope Telethon on Thursday, the Gibson family reveals how love, hope and courage help in overcoming the odds.

"My heart sank," Stephen Gibson said, describing how he felt when doctors diagnosed his son David Gibson with liver cancer.

"I was terrified. I thought that this was kind of the end."

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The next weeks meant constant trips to the hospital, a grueling treatment regimen, six rounds of chemotherapy and multiple surgeries.

For David, it took some time before he could process it all but his uncertainty quickly turned to unrelenting resolve.

"Going to the one Army-Navy game to meet the bomb squad gave me inspiration," David said.

And his revitalized spirit gave his family hope.

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"It progressed from, 'Oh my god, my kid's got cancer; he's gonna die,' to, 'He's gonna beat this thing," Stephen said about his son's physical struggle.

And through all the pain, David continues to smile.

Even his brother, Jakob, is amazed by what he sees in David.

"I would probably be breaking down into tears--my life's over; what do I do?"

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David has powered through treatment with the help of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.

In fact, David's mother, Kimberly, started volunteering for the foundation before David's cancer diagnosis, as she helped her company run the craft table at Alex's original stand.

The foundation provides the Gibson family both moral and financial assistance.

And it has provided a chance for the Gibson family to bond even closer.

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