Video games, Jurassic Park movies, camping and science are some of the favorite things of this 11-year-old fifth-grader at Hermosa Elementary School.

His name is Casey Bever and he is anything but an ordinary kid.

Although there are distinct similaries between him and his peers, there are also definite differences.

Bever likes to ride bikes like any other person his age. The difference is that his is a"three-wheeled giant tricycle," Bever said.

Basketball is one of many physical activities that he enjoys as well but instead of running up and down the court, he races in his wheelchair.

Bever has one distinct trait that sets him apart from other children. He is a five-year survivor of cancer.

As a small child, Bever was frequently in and out of the hospital due to asthma, pneumonia and other illnesses. "He had been doing pretty well for about a year and hadn’t been in the hospital at all in 1994," said mother, Christy Bever.

Unfortunately, the trend of good health did not continue. "I noticed small brown bruise-like areas on Casey’s legs," his mother said. Bever was taken to the doctor to have the areas examined.

While in the doctor’s office a blood test was done. That test came back with distressing news. Four-year-old Bever had a platelet count of 14,000. Christy Bever explained, "Normal platelet counts are closer to the hundreds of thousands, so this was very bad news.

"We raced him to Roswell and by the time that the test had been done again, his platelets had dropped to 8,000."

In August of 1995, young Bever was diagnosed with myelodysplasia, monosomy 7, a form of leukemia — he was only 4-years-old.

The entire family rallied together to support the boy. Mom and Dad, twin brother Christopher and big sister Shelbi all traveled with Casey to Albuquerque for testing to determine if their bone marrow could be used.

Christopher Bever’s bone marrow was found to be a perfect match. Without a moment’s hesitation, Christopher gladly went through the harrowing ordeal of donating bone marrow to his twin. "The boys have always been really close and protective of each other, so there was no doubt Chris would go through with it," Christy Bever said.

The bone marrow transplant was a success and, six years later Casey Bever is still in remission.

Bever is working diligently to regain the physical strength he once enjoyed. His schedule includes swimming three days a week, plus a rigorous workout schedule twice a week.

Other extracurricular activities Bever enjoys include church choir, Cub Scouts, piano lessons and tennis and basketball camps.

With the physical limitations Bever has acquired due to the disease, it’s hard to understand how he is able to participate in so many activities. Bever simply says, "Sometimes I just get achy all over and I just don’t go."

Amazed at her son’s progress, Christy Bever had only one thing to say. "If this disease had hit Casey 10 or 20 years ago, I don’t think the outcome would have been so good.

"The American Cancer Society uses so much money on research and medical advancements that even though there is still no cure for cancer, there have been huge breakthroughs. Those breakthroughs have helped Casey."

Recently, Bever has been able to discard his wheelchair. He traded it for a brace. Maybe someday soon he will trade the brace for a brand new set of strong fully functional legs that will help him to run down the court at his basketball games instead of racing along in his wheelchair.

Much of Bever’s success came from money donated to the American Cancer Society. Those donations were turned into research, medication and eventually, with enough support, the ultimate goal — a cure.

None of this can be accomplished without donations. Those donations helped to save Casey; how many will be next? The possibilities are endless.

Casey Bever and 14 of his friends will be walking at the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life on May 17 and 18. To make a donation to their team or just to make a donation, call Donna Bishop at 748-2804.