Daniel, like many kids, was active and outgoing. One day, a silly accident landed him in the emergency room. The scare was a gift in disguise.
      Daniel is the eldest of six children and much of his identity is still connected to his loved ones.
      ?My mom home schools all five children.? He looks me in the eye the whole time we talk, strong posture, serious yet smiling. His boyish hands sit on the table in front of him, they are folded and steady, like a confident young man?Daniel's mannerism are similar to those of a wise doctor.
       The family line up was first, then he methodically lays out the day that changed his life forever:
      ?In November of 2003 I was playing football [with his dad] and I ran smack into a tree.? He smiles, he doesn't laugh nor does he look away from me, just smiles as I take in that image. Daniel continues to describe step-by-step the process through which he and his family were taken at the emergency room the evening following his George of the Jungle stunt. He intelligently walks me through the tests that slowly ruled out concussion from his head banging into the tree and concluded that Daniel has had a tumor, which is now the size of a golf ball in the fourth ventricle of his brain.
      ?Daniel complained of headaches prior to the accident,? his mom says. ?Eventually they would have found the tumor?? Mom explains that the tumor was found just before it fingered it's way into the fourth ventricle. Meaning, had the doctors not found it then, getting to the tumor could have been life threatening.
      When I asked Daniel about how he felt when he first heard the news, Daniel replies, ?I think I was still too woozy to care.? Daniel went into surgery immediately. He ended chemo in June 2004 and is still in rehabilitation.
      I asked Daniel why he thinks he was chosen to be featured he said, ?When I meet nurses and doctors, they say I have a fighting spirit. I don't like to sit down on the job, that's what I mostly get from them.? And the battle begins. ?When I was told I have to go to surgery, I said, ?okay' and when I was told I had to go through chemotherapy I said, ?okay' and when they said I had to be in rehabilitation I said, ?okay.'? Nothing is going to stop Daniel. ?I don't like to sit down on the job.?
      ?When we first got out of the hospital I was in a wheel chair. When I was in my walker, my left hand was a bit slower than my right.? Daniel holds his hands out and demonstrates by touching his thumb to his index finger, then to his middle finger. As he looks down at his hands simultaneously moving, he glances up and in a well-educated manner begins the explanation where he left off.
      ?When I started walking I was walking on my toes. I couldn't get my heel to the floor.? Daniel switched therapeutic doctors. ?Here we thought my left side was weaker than my right,? Daniel says. But his new doctor phrased the situation differently. Daniel wasn't weaker, his left side was just tighter than the right, it just needed to be worked more. The term, ?weaker? wasn't applied to him anymore and that gave Daniel hope. ?Weaker? had no more power and Daniel's confidence and hope and hard work has paid off. Daniel's walker is long gone and the only assistance he uses is a cane.
      ?It was hard sometimes. When I was coming in the hospital my white blood cells were low. If I had a regular cold I couldn't go out to play, I couldn't touch anyone... Sometimes it got frustrating? The things you can't do pile up and those were probably the worst times.? Not being able to run or go play or go near anyone because of the fear that Daniel's body couldn't handle it. That's a hard trial for a child.
      Daniel didn't give up though, and his life lesson that he would like to share is just that, ?Never give up,? he says. One day, Daniel hopes to overcome the physical obstacles. ?I'm gonna go to Notre Dame and play college football.?
      ?My family helped out a lot. My parents had to give up the fact that one would have to come to the hospital with me and stay at night.? Each evening that Daniel was in the hospital his parents shared the load. One would be home with the other five children while the other parent stayed with Daniel.
      Another life lessons stems from past experiences compared to new experiences.
      ?I have a cousin who has Neuro Muscular disease. Most of her nerves don't fire,? Daniel explains. ?Basically she can use her hands only.? Before Daniel's accident he would sometimes play with his cousin. ?We would play chess, and Xbox. She has an Xbox system, I like that. Basically since being disabled is really hard... now that I am disabled I play with her more.? Daniel has found himself in his cousin's shoes. He came to understand what it was like for his cousin, having no one to play with, no one wanting to play with you. ?How would you like it?? He interrupts his thought, I witnessed the boy turn back into the intelligent methodical young man, and then he explains how he would have liked it if others played with him more, when the other children were out playing and he couldn't be, that is when he came to understand what his cousin went through everyday.
      Being the eldest I asked Daniel how he helps his family out and he begins with how his family helps him. ?I think they help me most of the time.?
      The family line up was first, then he, in an organized fashion, explains how he helps his family. He begins describing the large family van and the arrangement of the seats. ?One of them is more back than front. One of my brothers doesn't like to sit in the back. I don't know why. I had to sit up front for a while, because it was more accessible. But now, sometimes I let him sit in front.? Daniel has learned that giving his other brother space when he doesn't want to share is also a form of helping. Daniel smiles as he recounts the actions of his brothers but the joy in his eyes and the love in his smile makes one wonder if Daniel knows how magnetic and loving and kind he is.
      When asked if there is anything he'd like to say about his parents, he points to his mom with his left thumb, smiles and says, ?She's awesome.? Although the tears should have been flowing at this point everyone manages to maintain composure. Mom says, ?You certainly just live for the day. All that you know is that you are here today.?