USAF Academy welcomes 9-year-old with cancer as ‘youngest cadet’

Decked out in a kid-sized flight suit, Je’Moni Ford, 9, became the U.S. Air Force Academy’s “youngest cadet” this month, quickly advancing from the fourth grade straight into college, at least for a day.

Je’Moni visited the academy outside Colorado Springs, Colo., as part of its “Cadet for a Day” program, in partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which since 2000 has given young people facing severe medical challenges the chance to experience life as a cadet.

Two years ago, Je’Moni’s parents noticed something on his ring finger and took him to the family doctor, who initially thought it was a friction blister caused by drumsticks — the 9-year-old is an avid drummer — the academy said in a statement earlier this week.

It turned out to be a sarcoma, a rare kind of cancer that grows in connective tissues. Je’Moni underwent six surgeries to remove the tumor and reconstruct his hand, after which he had to relearn to tie his shoes.

Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/1.573619