8-year-old Arkansas boy rings bell, returns to school after 3 year battle with leukemia

ENGLAND, Ark. (KATV) — When a child is just five years old, cancer is the last thing they should be thinking about.

But cancer has no age limit.

Keethyn Harrison was in kindergarten when he was first diagnosed.

"Actually whenever they first told me there was a possibility that he had leukemia, I was the only one there with him at that moment and I could not really process it," Laura Patton, Keethyn's mother said.

Keethyn was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow that affects his white blood cells.

"It didn't really register until his lung collapsed," said Patton.

Patton explained the journey to recovery had not been easy.

"He is my only living child out of three," said Patton. "To know that I have lost two and something that traumatic was happening to my only living child, was not an easy thing for me to process."

Keethyn was in and out of the hospital since he was five, making it hard for him to go to school and live a normal life.

But on Wednesday, Keethyn got to ring the bell at the Arkansas Children's Hospital where he marked the end of his cancer treatments.

His mom said new beginnings are coming.

"He actually gets to live now," Patton said. "I do not have to limit everything that he does. He gets the chance of being a boy."

Those new beginnings started with a trip down the halls of England Elementary School where Keethyn could finally begin to live like a child should.

Laura said there were lessons learned from the hard times.

"One thing we learned is to cherish our time together," Patton said, hugging Keethyn.

Judy Ruh, Director of Special Programs for England School District said the students at England Elementary have been preparing for the moment they could cheer on their friend Keethyn while he walked down the school hallways.

"We have a good group of kids here," Ruh said. They love, love, love each other and they are supportive of each other. They have been so excited."

Ruh said students had gotten an early start on making posters and signs, preparing to celebrate Keethyn on Thursday.