Grant is a vivacious young man with a passion for soccer and all things comical. He is kind, sensitive, compassionate, humble and can ignite a room with laughter. Grant is a loving brother and friend. He often thinks of his cancer as a gift because it has taught him to be more compassionate and grateful. Grant hopes to one day play professional soccer. Grant was diagnosed with CML on December 22, 2009. Grant was always the healthiest one in the family. However, in September he started coming down with every possible virus. His mom swore he had Swine flu at least five times. Having played club soccer since the age of seven, Grant had a big soccer tournament the prior Thanksgiving weekend. Although he played well and was responsible for putting his team through to the knock-out stage, he came off the field exhausted after every game despite sleeping 12 hours each night. Convinced that he had mono, his mom took him in for a blood test the following Monday. She will never forget the incredulous look on the nurse's face when she requested the blood test, and the nurse's response, "Come on mom, he looks as healthy as a horse." That Friday, she received a call from their family physician advising her to take Grant to an oncologist since his white blood count was 21,000. Fortunately, Grant was able to immediately be seen at UCLA and has been blessed with an amazing team of physicians. Dealing with CML is not easy for Grant. Most nights, he suffers severe leg cramps/pain---a side effect of the chemotherapy, which makes it difficult to get a good night's sleep. He hates missing school and the special treatment he receives. He just wants to be "normal." However, he no longer is short of breath on the soccer field and is almost back up to his fitness level. At times, it is daunting to think he will have to be on chemotherapy for the rest of his life since his form of leukemia is chronic and there is no cure. However, Grant has great faith in God and in technology, reflected in his great attitude in dealing with his cancer.