An 8-year-old boy is being surrounded by his community as he celebrates what may be his last holiday season.
KXAS reported that for the past 16 months, Sawyer Davidson, 8, has been treated for a rare form of brain cancer called medulloblastoma.
The Westlake, Texas, boy and his parents, Kim and John Davidson, discovered the brain tumor April 21, 2015, according to The Dallas Morning News. The specific diagnosis came days later: The type of medulloblastoma was high-risk and meant adult doses of radiation were needed.
Sawyer's treatment ended in December 2015, but he relapsed in April 2016.
Doctors told his parents Sawyer had weeks and maybe days to live.
"We're not going to tell him," Kim Davidson told The Dallas Morning News. "We don't want to crush his spirit."
The Dallas Morning News reported that a post written by Sawyer's father on the Davidson's CaringBridge website, called "Sawyer the Fierce," spurred their neighbor, Ashlee Dempsey, into action. She decorated her home in Christmas lights.
A domino effect led other neighbors to do the same, and on Sunday, Year-Round Christmas Lights, a local Christmas lights company, decorated the Davidson's home and the president of the company, Ean Sullivan, came dressed up as Santa Claus. Mrs. Claus was his wife, Jan.
Throughout the treatment, Kim Davidson said her son has not complained.
The contribution of the family's community helps a bit too.
"We spend our time in the house now. He's on hospice care," Kim Davidson told KXAS. "So we're going to look out every night and see the beautiful lights."
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with medical expenses. Toward its $50,000 goal, $22,068 has been raised.
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