Footage of a 9-year-old cancer patient from Norman, Oklahoma, went viral after his tearful final drug treatment was shared online by the boy’s ecstatic mother.
Steven Cotter Jr.’s mother, Ashley Cotter, posted the video on Facebook. The footage shows an emotional Steven surrounded by his family and a plethora of empty pill containers splayed out impressively on a table. As his mother administers her young son’s final dose, the reality of Steven’s “cancer-free” status kicks in.
“I kicked cancer’s butt!” Steven shouts, before throwing a casual peace sign to the camera, relishing the cheers of his happy siblings, and enjoying a bear hug from his father.
Ashley could barely contain her joy in the video’s caption. “You have never seen pure happiness till you’ve seen a 9 year old little boy cry the most happiest tears ever to be cancer free and take his last chemo treatment,” she wrote, as quoted by the
Daily Mail.
That was on Dec. 14, 2019, which meant that Steven got to celebrate Christmas with a clean bill of health for the first time in three years.
According to
Fox 35, Steven was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in August 2016 at the tender age of 6. His cancer treatment started immediately.
Ashley, 28, described her son’s initial diagnosis to
ABC 13 as “heart-wrenching,” adding that it was “absolutely horrible to hear the words, ‘Your son has cancer.’”
On May 30, 2019, Ashley posted an update to
Facebook. “Little Steven was admitted into children’s [hospital],” she began, “we came in for a fever this morning. His counts have bottomed out, they have put him on a chemo hold and there is something wrong with his liver.
“[T]hey’ve taken blood, urine, and an ultrasound on his liver, spleen, and gallbladder, we’re waiting [on] results. If y‘all could keep my baby and our family in your prayers I’d so appreciate it!”
Amid a supportive network of family and friends, Steven waged a war with the cancer. Looking back on the journey, Ashley told
ABC 13: “He’s had so many blood and platelet transfusions over the past three years, so many medications and hospital stays.”
According to the proud mother of two, Steven emerged from his long battle with the disease in December “with a smile on his face and his head held high.” She and her loved ones, Ashley said, have “come so much closer as a family, came closer to God, and always kept the faith!”
Steven explained his experience of overcoming leukemia to
KOCO News 5. “It’s hard because I have to take medicine day in and day out,” Steven began. “It was hard to take. My stomach hurt, but I had to so I could be cancer free.
“I took it and I knew it was going to be my last time, and I knew I was already a champion,” Steven said of his final dose and the moment caught on camera that moved millions.
Steven’s mother revealed to
Fox 35 that since achieving a cancer-free diagnosis, her son has revived his ambitions for the future. “He always says he’s gonna work on being an NBA basketball player,” Ashley said. “He’s very passionate about basketball.
“Through his treatment, that was one thing; he never let cancer make him quit. He played through it all!”
Speaking to
KOCO News 5, Steven articulated a message for other kids who may be facing a cancer diagnosis. “If they were scared about cancer,” he began, “I would just tell them, ‘It’s alright. I’ve been through it, too, and you’re going to fight cancer.’”
