Members of a Georgia community gathered Thursday night to celebrate a five-year-old boy who recently finished his chemotherapy treatments.
Hyrum Harris of Canton received his last dose of chemotherapy on January 1, and on Thursday he marked the special milestone by ringing a cowbell in front of family and friends at his favorite restaurant, Chick-fil-A, according to WXIA.
“Chemo ended for us a year earlier than planned, and it’s hard not to be really emotional with worry,” Hyrum’s mother April told WXIA. “But once we focused on what we could do and the joy that Hyrum brings to everybody, we realized that we wanted to have the kind of celebration that was centered around Hyrum.”
The location for the celebration was fitting, as Chick-fil-A’s waffle fries were Hyrum’s favorite comfort food while undergoing treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia over the past two years.
The youngster, who has Down Syndrome, was diagnosed with the disease in October of 2019, and the treatment that lasted two years took a serious toll on his liver, CBS46 reported.
In spite of it all, Hyrum completed his chemo last week, a year earlier than expected. April, a mother to seven, was surprised by the great news and quickly reached out to neighbors for help to celebrate Hyrum on such short notice.
A neighbor contacted the Canton business Card My Yard, and the owner went over Harris household to set up a heartwarming display in their front yard.
The display read “Last Day of Chemo,” complete with cutouts of balloons, stars, hearts, and Hyrum’s favorite movie characters: Buzz Lightyear and Woody from John Lasseter’s 1995 film Toy Story.
Hyrum was delighted to come home to the display.
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As the family looks forward with hope, they are still saddled with Hyrum’s lingering medical bills, according to WXIA. The Harris family has a Go Fund Me page for those who wish to donate.