Carson Peters is just your average 14 year old who enjoys hiking, playing golf and going to parties with his friends.
For Carson, though, being average is nothing short of extraordinary.
"Hearing all these stories, I know I'm lucky to be alive and to be living today," Carson told NBC 5.
Carson has a neurological disorder called Nuerofibromatosis, or NF.
"You can get tumors all over your body," he said. "You can lose your memory. You can lose both your legs."
His mom, Kim Peters, tears up as she tells the story of when the family first found out.
"When Carson was two, they found a tumor on his brain stem," she said.
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There are different forms of the disease, but it layman's terms, your body loses its ability to stop the formation of tumors. And doctors have found more on Carson. His dad, Lance, almost can't remember everything that his son has been through.
"In his life, he's had six surgeries, been through 44 rounds of chemotherapy, probably had over 40 MRIs," Lance said. "He's extremely brave."
For his mom, the scariest moment may have been that first Chemo treatment.
"They came in these big white suits like you see with Ebola, and the image of that was really haunting, challenging to know what was going on," she said.
Carson goes for MRIs every three months and to the NF clinic twice a year, but it doesn't affect who he is.
"I don't feel down about it, just realize that's who I am," he said.
And all the pain for Carson, was motivation. The trips to the doctor, inspiration for his Eagle Scout project. He's making goody bags to help other kids dealing with NF and cancer.
His goal? "To make 200 NF fun bags to bring joy to families, give them hope and let them know people care about them," he said.
Because if anyone knows how tough the process can be, it's Carson. You can almost see him drift back to the treatments, recalling, "You just sit alone and wait and wait ... it's long."
Still, he's overcome and become a very impressive young man. Something not lost on mom and dad.
"We're very proud of Carson," Kim said. "The fact that he wants to brighten other kids' lives just speaks to the kind of kid he is."
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