A 13-year-old boy, who previously honored President Trump and more than 1,000 police stations, recently had to clear up misleading rumors about his health. Earlier this year, it was falsely reported that over 1,000 police stations were in critical condition after surgeries related to brain tumors.
These rumors began gaining traction late Monday night, suggesting that Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel was in serious condition after undergoing surgery for cancerous tumors in his brain and spine. However, both DJ and his father, Theodis Daniel, quickly refuted these claims, stating that DJ is doing well and is looking forward to an upcoming trip to New Jersey.
“Just a heads-up: the media is spreading misinformation about brain surgery and ICU status. I’m thankful for the continued prayers, but I’m not in surgery right now and am getting ready to travel tomorrow to the Cliffside Park Police Station in New Jersey,” DJ posted on Facebook on Tuesday.
The confusion seems to have stemmed from a post by Officer Mark Herman from Harris County District 4 in Texas, who asked his followers to pray for DJ due to a supposed serious health condition following surgery.
“We need prayers for special agent Devarjaye ‘DJ’ Daniel!” Herman wrote late Monday. “He is currently seriously ill in the ICU following brain surgery on Saturday. His family needs your prayers.” This post circulated at 9:12 PM but was edited about 30 minutes later.
“As we support special agent Daniel with our prayers, let’s join the men and women of Constable Mark Herman’s office. His family is requesting your prayers,” read the edited statement.
DJ has been fighting brain and spinal cancer since 2018, when doctors sadly gave him a prognosis of just five months to live. His father recently shared an update revealing that three new tumors were found, which understandably has been distressing for the family.
“It’s tough—there’s no guide on how to handle this. You hear that your child has a serious illness,” Theodis said during a news interview at that time.
It’s worth noting that Herman has not yet commented on the erroneous post. DJ underwent two MRIs last week to help his doctors assess the new tumors, and they are still waiting for the results.
DJ drew national attention on March 4 when President Trump invited him to command during a Mayor’s speech at a joint session of Congress. During this event, DJ was sworn in as an honorary Secret Service agent.
Since 2018, Daniel has show remarkable resilience against his diagnosis and has even received recognition from Guinness World Records along with support from law enforcement agencies.
The teenager aspires to be a real police officer when he grows up. His father expressed a heartfelt wish: “We want to show that caring for one another is crucial, fostering compassion, and working through challenges together.”
DJ will be recognized by the Cliffside Park Police Department in New Jersey on Wednesday, an event marking over 1,350 agents who have shown him support.
Just days before Herman’s post, DJ had shared an authentic health update from his hospital bed, mentioning he was preparing for two MRIs and that he was feeling well.
