A 13-year-old Texas teen battling brain and spinal cancer was sworn in as an honorary police officer by three Metro Detroit police departments during an unforgettable weekend visit.
Watch Faraz's report in the video player below
DJ Daniels from Houston was honored by the Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Melvindale Police Departments at the Dearborn Heights Police Department. The ceremony marks another milestone in DJ's mission to become an honorary officer with law enforcement agencies across the country while he continues his fight against cancer.
"I'm never going to forget none of this," DJ said.
DJ has defied the odds after doctors gave him just five months to live.
"The craziest part is I have 13 brain surgeries and I'm 13 years old," DJ said. But what they don't realize is I would have never been on this journey if my dad would have never signed me up for medicine."
His father, Theodis Daniel, treasures these moments with his son.
"It means a great deal and a lot because I don't know when it's going to end," Theodis said.
DJ is on a mission to become an honorary officer with as many law enforcement agencies as possible before his "gas tank runs out" — his way of describing when God calls him home.
So far, DJ has become an honorary officer for around 4,000 law enforcement agencies across the country. When asked about his ultimate goal, DJ's answer was simple.
"I'm just going to get as many as I can," DJ said.
In March, President Donald Trump named DJ an honorary member of the U.S. Secret Service, creating a deeply emotional moment for his father.
"I picked him up, and I wanted to make sure everybody knew that if you're going to apply for him, I want you to see not about politics, it was about a little boy that was struggling, and he made it all the way to the White House to have the President of the United States. Regardless of who was in there, still honor us," Theodis said.
DJ's dream of joining law enforcement began after he witnessed officers helping him and his family years ago.
"But they helped us, so I wanted to become one, and I just wanted to help more people," DJ said.
The teen has already made a difference in others' lives. He and his father helped raise money for a woman struggling to bury her loved one.
"We met this one person. She was having like a hard time trying to bury her loved one, and me and my dad raised the money to (do it), and we gave it to her so she could bury her loved one," DJ said.
"We even helped raise $200,000 with Jason Aldean a few weekends ago, and he still was there to present that check to give it away. And we didn't keep $1.00 of it. We didn't want none of that money," Theodis said.
DJ's battle with cancer continues. He had three new tumors appear earlier this year.
For others facing similar challenges, DJ offers words of encouragement.
"Keep your head up, believe in God, stay safe, have faith," DJ said.
When asked what he's most grateful for, DJ's answer focused on family.
"I'm grateful for my dad and my two brothers and my mom and my grandma," DJ said.
If you would like to donate to help DJ and his family, you can do so at this link. You can also follow him on Instagram at this link.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
