2-year-old Kristian is 11 months cancer free. In a celebration video with his dad, Kenny Thomas, he waved his hands to the music and even sang a couple of ad-libs. Thomas said his recovery was projected to be around 300 days, but only took half that time.
"His down syndrome actually helped his situation," said Thomas. He said the surivival rate for the cancer Kristian was diagnosed with—leukemia—is usually 30-40%, but his extra chromosome gave him an 80-90% chance of survival.
"My family has a lot of faith," Thomas said. "We prayed and we created a positive atmostphere around our son, and it paid off."
All of that is a reason to keep dancing. From being feautured on The Steve Harvey Show to meeting pop and R&B singer Ciara, it's been quite a year for the Thomas family.
"I think he's just living his best life right now," Thomas said of his son. The toddler's adorable smile and sweet dance moves continue to steal hearts on social media.
A post shared by The Dancing Dad (@kennyclutch_) on Oct 12, 2019 at 3:14pm PDT
"He's like the king of the world," he said, "and he just knows that he brings people positive love and joy. Anytime that he goes into a room he just lights up the entire place."
It hasn't all been easy. The family owned a dance studio, but had to close it down in order to focus on Kristian's treatment. They struggled with bills and have started a GoFundMe.
But Thomas saidthat he plans to continue making appearances, as a motivational speaker sharing their story and the power of positivity, with hopes of inspiring others facing adversities.
"Yesterday is gone, tomorrow will worry about itself and today is all we got," he said. "Work within that day and kill it that day. Worry about tomorrow when it gets here."