Teacher organizes fundraiser walk for 7-year-old boy with cancer

FARMINGTON N.M – Meet seven-year-old Isaiah Deal, like any kid his age, he likes to paint- play video games- dance and occasionally crack a few jokes. But unlike most kids, he’s fighting a battle that started with a limp about eight months ago.

“We took him to different doctors, urgent care. We thought that maybe something was wrong like he hurt his bone or something, but they could never find anything. So we went to an orthopedic doctor here in Farmington and they referred him to a neurologist. A Neurologist came from UNM hospital to Farmington and checked him out,” said Sarah Deal, Isaiah’s mother.

His family was told that it could possibly be a brain tumor. Quickly, they all made their way to UNM Hospital in Albuquerque. After-some MRI’s, they were given the news no parent wants to hear.

“They did find a brain tumor in his brain stem. The placement of it is right in the middle of his brain stem and it’s about the size of a golf ball,” Deal said.

After surgery- and some complications, that visit soon turned into a 20-day hospital stay. Isaiah’s mother, Deal says, while this has been tough on their family, Isaiah has proven to be nothing less than a fighter.

“I’ve never in my life seen anybody fight as hard as he had to stay positive, stay loving and stay focused on everything that he has to do without complaining,” she said.

What’s next for Isaiah- is more trips to Albuquerque- and more rounds of chemo.

“We have faith-we’re gonna beat the cancer and we’re not gonna be scared,” Isaiah said.

Support keeps pouring in for this family- some of Isaiah’s teachers organized a fundraiser walk on Feb. 12, starting at Lion’s Wilderness Amphitheater. For more information on the walk, visit, Fight like ISAIAH cancer walk.

To donate to the family, click here.