David is a 2-year-old who loves music. He likes listening to the piano especially, and always plays with musical toys or his blocks. He’s a sweet kid, willing to give his heart to anyone that sings to him.

When David was just 4 months old, his mom noticed his eye seemed to be glowing in a strange way. He was taken to a hospital in Hershey, Pennsylvania but received a misdiagnosis. The cause of the gleam in his eye remained unknown until David was finally diagnosed with retinoblastoma.

At Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Wills Eye Hospital, David received care from Dr. Shields as he began treatment. She guided him through four rounds of chemotherapy, weekly blood tests and monthly eye exams. Traveling several days a week to treatment was difficult, but worth it when David was deemed cancer-free in September of 2021.
 
Now, David’s family dreams of a future where his cancer never returns. They’re proud of their hero for being such a strong boy and smiling even when his treatment hurt. Seeing him face pain with such love inspired his parents to be patient and hold fast to their faith, because “miracles do happen when you have faith.”

David’s parents, Sherlin and Daniel, want families facing a similar diagnosis to know that even though the journey is difficult, the best thing you can do as a family is stay strong for one another. “Give your pain to God and He will take care of the rest,” she says.

The Berkey family is grateful that Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) could provide them with gift boxes and cards to make David smile. Living in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania meant their family had to travel nearly three hours to and from treatment several days a week. Thankfully, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s Travel For Care program could assist their family with travel expenses to ease the financial burden. Now, their family is happy to watch David grow into the happy, healthy and loving little boy he is today.

Updated February 2023