Greensboro, NC -- Curt and Tricia Dean had no jitters on their son Daniel's first day of kindergarten.
"It was a joyous moment, it was celebrative," said Curt Dean, Daniel's father.
"No anxiety, not really any jitters, just really excited for him and happy for him," said Tricia Dean, Daniel's mother.
"I know a lot of families may take it for granted, we just see it as very, very special," said Curt. "I think there was this time where we were sighing of, kind of a sigh of joy."
It's a relief knowing that their five year old son's life is getting back to normal.
"One day your child is well and the next day they're not feeling well and then to be told just a few days later that your son has a malignancy like that," said Tricia.
"Daniel here was diagnosed with leukemia just about a year ago," said Curt.
"When you go through the chemotherapy treatments you don't think of it as a life or death battle, you just think of it as him getting better," added Tricia.
Daniel got better. His doctors say they haven't found any cancer in four months.
"We're just you know high-fiving and celebrating because it's just an awesome thing to see our son who had been through cancer treatments and now he's had this victory, this milestone where he is able to put his backpack on and take running off into school," said Curt.
There is no more chemotherapy, no more hospital visits, just the freedom to be a kid.
Daniel started school last Thursday and says he can't wait to go back Monday.
His parents say he is both a student and a teacher, giving us all lessons in resiliency, strength and love of life.
WFMY News 2