WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (WSVN) — A special ceremony took place in Florida for a Texas teen battling brain cancer who is on a mission to break a world record.
Thirteen-year-old Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel took one step closer to reaching his goal of being sworn in to 1,000 law enforcement agencies.
On Friday, he added Polk County deputy sheriff to his growing list of honorary titles.
Cameras captured DJ being greeted with a standing ovation.
“He always wanted to get sworn in at the best, and that’s why he’s here with us today.” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. “Am I am mind reader?
“Mm-hmm, ’cause that’s exactly what I was going to say.” said DJ.
Earlier in March, DJ was granted one of the biggest honors when he was named a Secret Service agent of the United States.
“Great. I was not expecting all this stuff, he said.
DJ aspires to be a police officer, and he hopes that if he reaches his swearing-in goal, his name will be in the Guinness Book of World Records. He’s already past 900.
In 2018, doctors gave DJ at most five months left to live when he received a brain cancer diagnosis.
Since then, the teen has continued to defy the odds, going through more than a dozen brain surgeries.
DJ is now part of a research study that’s giving his family hope.
“I do everything now hyst to try and make the world a better place and just use his story to help somebody out,” said Thodis Daniel, DJ’s father. “I don’t know how many people we’ve been able to touch with our story that may have given up, but the fight is only harder if you believe that, so you’ve always got to stay faithful.”
With record-breaking ambition, DJ and his family will be busy for the next few months, as they travel to more agencies across the U.S.
“I’ll keep going until my gas tank runs out, and that’s when God calls you home,” said DJ. “The craziest thing is, on my 11th brain surgery, God told me I was one of his angels, and I’m doing God’s work. On my 12th brain surgery, he gave me my wings, but he told me, ‘I’m going to take these back; you don’t get these until you graduate the school of life.’”
DJ’s father says his son has already set some other records, already having the most “keys to the city” and the most “proclamation days.”
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