By Tammy Moore Teague
Cancer survivor, Daxton McBride, went to the Hackett volleyball game last night to support one of the players. What he didn’t know was, the game was a ”Pink Out”, and that he was one of the guests of honor!
”We got the unexpected blessing of getting to let Daxton take part in being honored as a cancer survivor,” stated Daxton’s mother, Misty McBride. “A lot of the people there today were also there 12 years ago supporting Daxton and the rest of our family as we went through the toughest journey of our life. We had many prayer warriors in our corner and we had family and friends available at all times. Lots of very tough memories that bring tears to my eyes when I think on them, but more importantly, God allowed us to have a testimony to glorify Him and I share it daily. I’m thankful for a community that believes in prayer and that loves our kids.”
McBride has such a sweet spirit. His smile is contagious to those he meets! Even more inspiring, is the obstacles he’s faced and overcome. Besides having Downs Syndrome, McBride had brain and spine cancer. “The initial tumor was a large one on the cerebellum of his brain. That’s where your balance and coordination comes from,” explained Misty McBride. “They removed it and then five weeks later they discovered it had blasted all over his brain and spine. Too many tumors to even count. Daxton went through 32 rounds of radiation. They radiated 360 degrees of his body. The only thing not radiated were his legs.”
What happened next was nothing short of a miracle. His mother stated “After he finished his radiation on a Thursday, they rescanned and said all tumors were still there, but had not grown. We were starting chemo on Monday. On Sunday, the Lord led us to take him to the front (of the church) and have him anointed and prayed over. We did just that and we got a bigger blessing than we ever really expected. The Lord chose to heal Daxton immediately of his tumors. Every single one was gone, where they had been there only three days prior.”
The doctors were unable to accept that the healing had taken place through divine intervention and insisted McBride continue treatment. For two long years this young man endured treatments that nearly killed him. “Even through that trial the Lord was faithful and blessed us in our time of need,” his mother added.
Misty McBride said just prior to her son’s healing, they had encountered what she believed was an Angel. “It was before Daxton was even prayed over and he had to be pushed in a wheelchair, he was so weak. We were at the hospital getting his blood checked. He was so sick that particular day. In fact, he had to be airlifted from Fort Smith to Little Rock. An old lady, kind of grungy looking, was pushing a cart on the sidewalk just outside the hospital and she stopped me. She said ‘can I pray with you?’ I said sure, and she reached for my hand. She prayed, then when she finished, she said ‘God wants me to tell you that you’re son is gonna be just fine and He wants you to hang on to that!’ I burst into tears and she hugged me, then began walking away. I literally took two steps and turned to wave and tell her thank you and goodbye, but when I turned back she wasn’t anywhere to be found. There was absolutely no place for her to go either, she simply disappeared. I know she was an angel sent by God Himself.”
The family remains strong in their faith and are such an example to others. Daxton McBride, is himself, such an inspiration! I believe his mother said it best, “he’s a well loved young man!” And that, he is!