LUBBOCK, Texas – Jonathan Hester is a 4 year-old-boy who loves coloring, going to school and Playing with his Legos.
“He’s like the kid everybody gives hugs to whenever they walk into the door,” said Hillary Hester, Jonathan’s mom.
Two years ago, right after Christmas, things were very different. The Hester’s had to rush him to the hospital.
“Our doctor was like there would be a lot of kids that this would have killed this day,” Hester said.
Doctors discovering a tumor the size of a grapefruit in his lungs, diagnosing him with Acute T Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma.
“We fought with him as his body healed,” Hester said.
She spent more than 200 days in the hospital with him in one year.
“He lost a lot of function,” Hester said. “He couldn’t walk, he couldn’t sit up, crawl. He had to learn all of that back.”
Two years since his diagnosis, she said he’s doing much better. They hope he will be finished with chemo in about nine months.
“There is a lot of looking back and realizing how close he came to dying because he came super close numerous times for a long time,” said Jon Mark Hester.
The Hester’s said they are thankful this Christmas. He’s feeling great and able to celebrate with his family at home.
“It is very difficult to see a walking miracle and forget about it. It just makes my day every day to see just how well he is doing,” Jon Mark Hester said.
