Aaron is an outdoorsy 9-year-old who loves mountain biking. He’s a smart kid with a big heart for Jesus, and over the past couple months, Aaron has overcome more than he ever imagined.

In 2026, Aaron’s life changed when he was diagnosed with anaplastic large-cell lymphoma. When doctors first suggested that Aaron’s difficulty breathing was probably just allergies, it seemed perfectly logical. After all, he struggled with several allergens when their family first moved to Texas. Inhalers, steroids and allergy testing helped Aaron enough to win fourth place in his mountain biking race but failed to resolve the issue completely.

Urgent care still found nothing wrong, even after an X-ray; but Aaron’s family was friends with a nurse who knew something wasn’t right. They decided to take him to the emergency room for another X-ray and a CT scan. At first, they were relieved to hear the doctors believed it was pneumonia, but after midnight they heard different news – Aaron had a large mass pressing on his airway. His mom, Susan, remembers hearing the news alone. “I never want another family to experience that pain,” she says. Thankfully, a family friend was able to wake up Aaron’s dad, so he could join them at the hospital.

Aaron was placed on life support in the pediatric ICU where they were told he may not survive the night, but Aaron kept fighting. Now, his treatment requires intense chemotherapy every 21 days for a total of four to five months. His family is hospital bound during each round of treatment, but still, they were miraculously able to pack up their life amid the chaos and move to Seattle where Aaron now receives his care.

As the fight continues, Aaron dreams of a future where he can share God’s light with all those around him and mountain bike as much as he can. To his family, Aaron is a hero because despite his hardships, he continues to fight with everything he’s got and always finds opportunities to praise God along the way.

Susan wants other families to know that it’s important to listen to your instincts when your child is struggling with something. Reflecting on some of the mistakes their doctors had made trying to diagnose Aaron, her advice is “listen to what you see and know!”

Aaron’s family is thankful for organizations like Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation that are helping kids to continue their fight. Having lost her father to cancer, Susan feels the full weight of her son’s diagnosis, but looking back on everything they’ve been through, she believes that God is already writing a story of redemption for Aaron, and they’re grateful for every blessing that has brought them this far.

Hero Quote: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Information provided by Susan, Aaron's mom
Updated April 2026