Milford community rallies around teenager battling cancer

MILFORD, Del. – In Delaware, the Milford community is rallying around a 15-year-old boy who’s battling cancer for the second time in less than a year.

“As a community, if one of us is suffering I feel like we all are suffering so we need to do our best to be supportive to Candice and her family,” said Jay-Xavier Johnson, a friend, and mentor of Axel.

Candice Morris says her son Axel was first diagnosed with Stage Four B-Cell Lymphoma in December 2019. After four rounds of chemo, the doctors gave them the news they’d been waiting for the cancer was gone. But then this fall, symptoms started, and just before Thanksgiving, the family got the news they feared most the cancer was back.

“It’s been really difficult to watch your child suffer, to watch what they have to go through and also see how strong they are,” said Candice Morris.

“It’s devastating for Candice,” said Sarah Jester, a friend of the Morris family.

“She keeps her chin up and she does the best that she knows how to do to just power forward and try to keep her eyes on the prize so to speak, which is just remission, which is getting through this, which is losing that cancer diagnosis,” said Jester.

Just like most teens Axel loves talking to his friends. He spends his hours drawing and friends say his favorite is anime. Fortunately, these are activities he can continue to do as he gets ready to tackle another round of treatment.

With Candice sticking to his side she tells 47ABC it’s tough to keep up with the bills. That’s why the community created a GoFundMe page. Plus the group Street Ministry is selling Axel Strong t-shirts.

“He just needs to know that people are there supporting him and love him and that we’re all here rooting for him,” said Amber Lee, a friend, and mentor of Axel.

“Imagine being 15 years old and you should be living your teenage years and suffering like this,” said Johnson.

Now Candice says it’s possible they’ll need to spend a second Christmas in the hospital.

“We all need to come together and be We Are Milford and be Axel Strong,” said Johnson.

“Knowing that the community can still pull together for somebody they don’t even know shows that the spirit is still here despite COVID, despite everything that’s going on it gives me a lot of faith,” said Morris.

The ColeStrong Foundation is also asking the community to donate gift cards to the Morris family. The organization is also having a toy, gift card, and PJs drive for 3East and HemOnc clinic at Nemours for children with cancer and blood disorders. Click here for more information about these efforts.

Click here for a link to the GoFundMe page.

Click here for more information about the Axel Strong t-shirts.