HAWKINS (KYTX) - As a 3-year-old East Texas boy battles a rare kidney cancer, his entire community steps up to help him and his family.
It was only a month ago that 3-year-old Jagger Medlin went to the doctor for a stomach ache.
His dad Cade Medlin says, "Thankfully they ordered a CAT scan and they found a Wilms Tumor."
It was a rare kidney cancer commonly found in children. It was stage four, so doctors took action immediately.
"That Monday they took the kidney out, and we just finished six days of radiation and now chemo, and he's just ripping and roaring," Cade says.
It's been an overwhelming month for the Medlin family, and they say they wouldn't be making it through without the support of their community.
"It's just unreal," Cade says. "Hawkins is a real good community. We have a lot of good people here and it's just overwhelming, the support. I get real emotional talking about it."
Dozens of people came together for a fundraiser Sunday at the Pirate's Club in Hawkins, held in Jagger's honor.
Close family friend Brandon Baker helped put the fundraiser together.
"It's terrible to hear about any 3-year-old, anybody's 3-year-old, but a friends child has this problem so we definitely wanted to help," Baker said. "A lot of people pitched in. We've got three bands playing today, we've got a live auction, a silent auction, and a fish fry."
The outpouring of support is helping the Medlins keep their chins up.
"We got to keep our head up, and with all the support we're getting, it helps out a lot. But we have our moments, but we have to keep going. We have to beat it," Cade says.
Jagger will continue weekly treatments to fight the cancer. In about six weeks he will have a check up to track his progress.
