"Daniel Stark is doing better. He’s keeping up with his stuff. I am so happy, I can’t stand it. I’m just glad to have him back," said Sylvia Heston, Special School District (SSD) teacher assistant.

Daniel, as previously reported in Pilot Issue 2, has a type of cancer called medulloblastoma, a malignant tumor in the central nervous system that is more common in males than females. This type of cancer affects the cerebellum, the part of the brain responsible for balance and other complex motor functions.

His condition makes him tired, so he is not able to attend the many after school sporting events he loves so much. However, he made it to a basketball game in Jan., and said he hopes to attend more as he regains strength.

His mother, Kathy Stark, confirmed Daniel’s improvements. He is receiving chemotherapy to get rid of the cancer and will be treated for a while.

Stark has been on chemo for the past year and currently receives a low dose. However, if his white blood cell counts go down, he will have to go off the chemo.

Daniel’s counts were down, and he got an infection that kept him out of school for three weeks last September. Since then, he has not contracted any more infections, though he did miss two weeks of school last December.

Throughout his illness, Daniel has looked forward to returning to LHS, his ‘happy place.’ He said he doesn’t like missing school because that means missing homework.

He even claims to enjoy being at school more than at home.

"My favorite part of school is just being here at LHS," said Daniel Stark (10).

Daniel also plans to ride in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade downtown, Mar. 17, on a float sponsored by the Sybergs restaurant.