Jason Aldean made good on a promise to a young fan during his show in Houston, Texas on Friday night (Aug. 15).
The singer brought out special guest Devarje “DJ” Daniel, a 13-year-old Houston native who is fighting brain and spinal cancer.
In partnership with the Houston Astros and his tour sponsor Patriot Mobile, Aldean also presented a check for over $200,000 to Heroes for Children, a Texas-based nonprofit that offers financial support and advocacy work to kids in the area who have been diagnosed with cancer.
“I spent a few hours with this guy today, and when I tell you he’s a kid that will brighten your day up, I’m not kidding,” the singer told the crowd, putting his arm around Daniel.
“This guy is pretty unbelievable right here,” he added.
“Thanks for letting me hang out with him today,” Aldean said to Daniel’s father, who was also onstage.
Then, he turned back to the young boy.
“You asked us to raise some money and that’s exactly what we did,” he continued. “We love you, man. We’re gonna stay in touch. We’re buddies now, right?”
A Collaboration Months in the Making
Daniel has been trying to get ahold of Aldean since early this summer, when he put out a call on TikTok.
Read More: A 13-Year-Old Boy With Cancer is Seeking Out Jason Aldean
In that video, he said he was hoping to organize a country music show to raise money for pediatric cancer patients. He asked a simple question: “Does anybody know Jason Aldean?”
Turns out, somebody did.
Just days later, Aldean posted a video on his social media which starts with a cameo from Darius Rucker. “Guess what, I heard ya. I know Jason Aldean,” Rucker says in the beginning of that clip, before passing the phone over to Aldean himself.
Read More: Jason Aldean Answers the Call For a Young Fan With Cancer
The singer said he was all in on Daniel’s idea to raise some money for a good cause, and promised to be in touch.
“We’ll get you out to a show,” Aldean continued. “Let’s talk more about doing a show, or doing something to help the kids, like you were talking about.”
Daniel is a Rising Star in His Own Right
The young boy’s terse, wise-beyond-his-years stage presence was on full display during his cameo at Aldean’s show.
He didn’t smile much, but he did take the mic to crack a few jokes for the crowd.
“Are y’all parking tickets?” he said during his time onstage with Aldean. “‘Cause I heard y’all got hella fine written all over you.”
@livingwithlyndsey @Jason Aldean brings DJ Daniel up on stage at his Houston concert and his joke steals the show #djdaniel #jasonaldean #djdaniel ♬ original sound – Living With Lyndsey
He also laughed, waved hello and raised his hands up in the shape of a heart as he worked the crowd.
As he does during most public appearances, Daniel came on stage in full police uniform.
That’s because the young boy — who wants to be a police officer when he grows up — has been sworn in as an honorary law enforcement agent by over 1300 agencies, according to a People report from late May.
In March, he was sworn in as an honorary Secret Service agent by U.S. president Donald Trump’s administration.
Beating the Odds, and a Difficult Cancer Battle
Daniel was first diagnosed with brain cancer in 2018. People reports that at the time, he was given just five months to live.
But he beat the odds, undergoing at least 13 surgeries in the years since.
In mid-May, Daniel’s father Theodis Daniel said that doctors had recently discovered three new tumors.
“It’s rough,” Theodis said at the time. “There isn’t a class that can teach you how to deal with it. You’re hearing that your child has a nasty disease.”
“We’re just going around showing people, ‘Hey, you do care for one another.’ Let’s give compassion, and let’s try to join and help each other get through things,” he continued.
Aldean has a lengthy history of supporting cancer patients, including a longstanding presence as part of country radio’s partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The singer also frequently performs and speaks in support of funding for breast cancer research.
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Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
