Cancer survivor donates birthday presents to hospital

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.

Friday was Xander Pond's birthday, but instead of receiving gifts, he wanted to give them away to children with cancer.

Xander got the idea when he was here at UNC Hospital himself, receiving treatment for a tumor in his pelvis and cancerous spots in his lungs.

After battling bone and soft tissue cancer for eight months, Xander has been in remission for a little over a year. But he still remembers what it was like and wanted to bring the kids in the hospital some much-needed cheer.

"This party really ain't for me, it's for them," Xander said.

His mother says the giving nature isn't anything out of the ordinary for the little boy.

"I wasn't surprised, we've given gifts to kids at Christmas the past two years, and that was all his idea too," mother Angie Pond said.

Most of the gifts Xander gave away were donated by various organizations. An organization that supports the families of children with cancer called "Fight Like Paxton" donated $50 gift cards for the special celebration. Paxton was a local little boy who passed away in 2011 from cancer.

Xander's family used the donations and bought stuffed animals to make sure the cancer clinic was a little brighter on Friday.

Click here to visit Xander's Facebook page

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