Young Boy From Los Angeles Reaches Remission Stage Of Cancer Battle: 'No Retreat, No Surrender'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Researchers and doctors -- they're the heroes who help childhood cancer heroes get better and thrive. Young Marcel Moore wants to be a hero too, a firefighter. Marcel had a big fight ahead of him at a young age, a battle with cancer, but with his motto -- a lot of love -- and the help of doctors and Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, he's winning.
Marcel Moore II is a vivacious little 7-year-old boy who is a big fan of "Sonic the Hedgehog" and Disney's "Cars." He's a huge 49ers football fan and understandably so since he lives in Los Angeles.
This bright, energetic first-grader has come a long way since the beginning of his battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
"My son would start either running or walking and all of a sudden, he'd be from standing to just falling over," Ana Moore said.
Marcel's mom Ana says when he was just 2-and-a-half years old, they started noticing strange occurrences when it came to his health. He was crying inconsolably at night and growing paler.
"We started with fevers and just being sickly," Ana said.
After a visit with his aunt who worked as an oncology nurse at UCLA and a trip to the emergency room, the Moores received the gut-wrenching news that brought their lives to a screeching halt.
"They knew it was cancer, they just didn't know what kind of cancer," Ana said. "My world stopped and all kinds of thoughts go through your head. You go from all the bad things you can think of to all the good things. Your mind is just going 100 miles per hour trying to figure out what's going to be the next step."
The next step and every step after involved life-saving treatments, three blood transfusions, chemotherapy and port placement. Through all of the grueling hospital visits, Marcel never lost his smile or his unwavering resilience.
"He was just always happy, smiling, full of energy," Ana said.
Ana and her family are extremely grateful for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. The constant trips to and from the hospital for treatment became a financial strain.
"Alex's Lemonade was one of the first foundations that helped us," Ana said, "and they actually helped us with gas to travel back and forth because at the beginning of treatment it's an everyday thing or every other day and that can get very expensive."
Marcel could be seen bopping in and out of our Zoom conversation. His mom shared promising news of where his journey stands right now.
"As of December, he doesn't have leukemia right now. He's in remission. We hope and pray he stays like that for the rest of his life," Ana said.
Marcel is already looking to the future and his aspirations.
"I wanted to put out fires," Marcel said. "My dad works at a fire station and I just wanna be just like him."
With the continued support of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation and a loving family, Marcel's dream of becoming a firefighter may one day come true.
"My motto is to wake up every day and love your child like there is no tomorrow because we are not promised every day," Ana said.
No day is taken for granted, for a little boy with a big hero's motto.
"No retreat, no surrender," Marcel said.
