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13-year-old battling cancer for third time

Posted at 12:37 PM, Jun 16, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-16 12:37:39-04

Montrose, MI (WNEM) -- At just 13-years-old, Xavier Escamilla is dealing with his third brush of leukemia.

“I’m excited that summer is here, but I’m spending it in the hospital again. So it doesn’t really matter for me,” said Xavier Escamilla.

Xavier is in the fight of a lifetime. He has been diagnosed with early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

“It’s a nightmare,” said Prescilla Escamilla, Xavier’s mom.

Xavier has grown familiar with the pokes and prods, needles and chemotherapy.

This is his third time fighting cancer within the past two years.

“It’s nothing I ever wanted to hear again in my life,” Prescilla said.

This type of cancer is rare and aggressive. Only about 11 percent of patients survive.

Xavier was first diagnosed in 2016. He went into remission, but relapsed last year. He had a few healthy months before a complete relapse last week.

The physical and emotional burden on his mother is compounded by the obligations of raising four other children as a single mother.

She said at this point, they still don’t have a treatment plan.

“We are up in the air while cancer is spreading through his body,” she said.

Adding to the struggles, Prescilla said the family has no reliable transportation for hospital trips to and from Ann Arbor.

“I haven’t had a dependable car since my last car broke down. The car I have is just a jalopy,” she said.

This hurting mother just wants her son to win this battle for the third time.

“I still live in a horrible nightmare. To see and go through all these horrible chemicals,” she said. “To see him finally gain weight and be a normal kid for the summer, and now his summer is gonna be this week til Thursday.”

Prescilla said her son could be in the hospital for the next 18 months. She wants to make the most of the next seven days with her family by taking a trip to Michigan’s Adventure, but she can’t afford the tickets.

A GoFundMe page has been created to help.

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