Picture a 13-year-old kid who’s battled brain cancer, endured 13 surgeries, and then gets a personal nod from former President Donald Trump. That’s DJ Daniels—a fighter with a heart full of faith and a shiny new Secret Service badge. CBN’s Tara Mergener sat down with DJ and his dad in two separate interviews, one capturing his unforgettable moment at the Joint Session of Congress and another digging into his gritty medical journey. Here’s what they shared with her, a story of resilience, family, and an unexpected honor.
A Surprise That Dropped Jaws
When Tara Mergener asked DJ about the moment President Trump called his name during the Joint Session of Congress, his excitement was palpable. “It felt great!” he told her, but the real shock came when Trump handed him a Secret Service badge. “I ain’t gonna lie—my jaw dropped all the way to the ground! I could barely even pick it up,” DJ confessed, still amazed by the turn of events.
What did he expect that day? “I had no idea!” he said with a laugh. The kicker? Everyone around him seemed to know something big was coming, but they kept it under wraps. Even his dad was out of the loop. “They didn’t even tell me!” his father chuckled to Mergener. He initially thought the call was a scam. “I was like, ‘This has got to be fake,’” he explained, until he confirmed it with Border Patrol Agent Ortiz, who’d gotten a similar call. “When the President calls, there’s no excuse not to go!” he added.
DJ’s dad teased him for days, dropping cryptic hints. “I told him, ‘You ain’t gonna believe me, but I’m not gonna tell you outright. You’ll never guess who called,’” he recalled. DJ took a shot in the dark—“Not President Trump?”—and when his dad finally nodded, DJ’s reaction was pure disbelief: “What?!”
The day felt surreal. “When my dad told me, I thought he was joking,” DJ admitted to Mergener. But there he was, with Trump calling his name, his dad lifting him up—nearly straining a shoulder thanks to DJ’s love for junk food. “It was pretty much the best moment ever,” DJ beamed. That badge vaulted the Secret Service to the top of his list, overtaking the FBI and RG. “Those are the top people you don’t want to mess with!” he declared proudly.
Badges, Uniforms, and a New Status
DJ’s no stranger to law enforcement admiration—he’s an honorary member of about 99 police departments. “Seventeen uniforms,” he told Mergener, pointing to a bag stuffed with them. But that Secret Service badge is the prize. “I’m flashing it everywhere now,” he said with a grin. When she asked if his friends might see him differently, DJ didn’t hesitate: “Oh, I don’t think they’re gonna want to talk to me anymore. Pretty much jealous!”
How does he view his role with the Secret Service? “Honestly, no one’s ever asked me that before,” he mused to Mergener. “But out of all the police departments, I’d rather work here.” He’s been to the White House twice already, and while hugging everyone there was a blast, “getting this badge was the most fun part,” he decided. That uniform? It makes him feel “proud and safe,” a sentiment that radiates every time he mentions it.
A Battle That Began at Five
In a separate interview with Mergener, DJ opened up about the fight that shaped him, starting when he was just five. “Literally, that’s not even the craziest part,” he began, setting the scene. “My mom raised me and my brothers all together, she would bath us all together at the same time and I [didn’t know] where I [my body] was locked up—couldn’t move much.” Then came a pivotal moment: his dad calling his name. “I started going slow,” DJ remembered, but his dad snapped, “Stop playing with me,” and DJ picked up the pace.
What started slow became a race. “As soon as he said that, we were speeding all the way to the hospital,” DJ told her. Soon, he was on an operating table, doctors announcing, “No, we’re gonna have to operate on his brain tonight.” That marked the first of 13 brain surgeries. “That’s how many times my personality has changed,” DJ reflected, a rare insight from a terminally ill child.
His dad gave Mergener the full picture. “Not just in one spot—it’s spread all over,” he said. A massive tumor, worsened by Hurricane Harvey knocking out power and spoiling DJ’s medicine, led to a new growth in the same place. Now, a drainage tube runs from DJ’s head to his stomach, a fragile lifeline. “The cancer’s down his C3, C4, C5 vertebrae, his spinal cord, all the way to his tailbone,” his father explained. “One day, he might not walk, but we don’t speak that into existence.”
Back then, doctors gave DJ five months to live. “I’m gonna keep going until my gas tank runs out—that’s when God calls you home,” he told Mergener with quiet determination. “You never know when God’s gonna call you.”
Anchored by Family and Faith
DJ’s dad has been his anchor. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him,” DJ said sincerely. “I know he’s pretty proud of me, and I’m pretty proud of him too.” His father’s philosophy? “We don’t allow bad days,” he told Mergener. “We keep on rolling! Life’s tough, but we get through it—no excuses.” Even when DJ couldn’t walk or talk, he used a stuffed turtle, knocking its head to communicate—a story that left Mergener marveling at his grit. “You gotta stay faithful and prayed up,” his dad insisted. “God’s got us.”
Faith drives DJ too. “I pray a lot,” he shared when Mergener asked. He stumbled to describe his prayers, but shared how a song came to his mind for some time and he just keeps singing it over and over: “‘Inside Out’—‘Inside out, inside out, you must serve my Jesus from the inside out…’” It’s “From the Inside Out” by Hillsong United, a melody he can’t shake. “I might be young, but I know the Word of God is true,” he added, his faith shining through.
Gratitude to Trump and a Future Unwritten
President Trump’s invitation wasn’t just a highlight—it was a lifeline. “I’d like to thank President Trump because, if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here today,” DJ told Mergener gratefully. His dad agreed: “We’ve been given a tough battle, but God knew we were strong enough to handle it.”
What’s next? “I don’t know yet,” DJ admitted when Mergener pressed about his dreams. “But I do know—I’m gonna keep on doing this!” He won’t forget those who’ve lifted him up. “Never!” he promised. His dad summed it up: “None of these kids ask to go through what DJ has. But we do what we can for them—we give all we have.”
Rolling Forward with No Excuses
DJ Daniels turned a five-month prognosis into a 13-year odyssey, collecting 99 honorary badges, 17 uniforms from law enforcement agencies all of America, and a Secret Service honor from President Trump along the way. As Tara Mergener discovered, his story isn’t just about surviving—it’s about thriving with faith, family, and an unstoppable spirit. From that desperate hospital dash to standing tall at the Joint Session, DJ keeps rolling, fueled by love and a song about serving Jesus from the inside out. “We’re gonna keep rolling—with faith, love, and no excuses,” his dad told her. And DJ himself put it best: “If you ever have to roll me in a wheelchair—play that song Rolling.” With his gas tank still running strong, there’s no telling how far this young hero will go.