(LEX18) — A toddler from eastern Kentucky has completed his fourth round of chemotherapy, marking a significant milestone in his battle against an aggressive form of leukemia.

It’s a story LEX18 first brought to you back in May.

Three-year-old Axel Combs was first diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in April while on vacation in Florida. Nine months later, he has completed four rounds of aggressive chemotherapy and recently finished his frontline treatment.

Over the past several months, Axel has undergone surgeries, blood transfusions, and many aggressive treatments to reach this point.

“I feel two totally different ways all at the same time. Like part of me is so sad, but then part of me is so grateful and appreciative at the same time,” said Sasha Combs, Axel’s mother.

The family now waits for Axel’s Absolute Neutrophil Count to reach 750, so he can move forward with a less aggressive chemotherapy treatment for the next two years.

Combs says doctors are hopeful Axel will reach that number by Tuesday once his labs are rechecked.

Axel has even started acting like himself again, which has given his family hope.

“Up until probably like July or August, those personality changes were still there,” Combs said. “When we started seeing him act more like himself, that kind of gave us a glimpse of hope.”

Despite his treatment, Axel has been able to enjoy special moments, including serving as an honorary captain with the Cincinnati Reds and seeing the lights at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Combs says Axel had to undergo chemotherapy on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, but was able to wake up together Christmas morning.

“We were able to spend Christmas here at the temporary home together. It was the four of us,” Combs said.

Beyond Axel’s health challenges, the family faces significant financial burdens. From April to December, their insurance was billed $2.4 million for his cancer treatments. Some chemotherapy treatments cost $50,000 for a single dose.

Combs says the family’s faith has only grown, along with a newfound perspective, as they navigate this journey.

She thanks the community for its overwhelming support and outreach, especially on her Facebook page, Angels for Axel, where she shares every step of his journey.

“You can still find happiness and beauty among really horrible, horrible, horrible situations,” Combs said. “There’s hope for the future. That this doesn’t define us or this doesn’t ruin his life. Our life. Like that, there is still beauty that can be in this, after this.”

Those who want to follow Axel’s journey can visit the Facebook page “Angels for Axel.”

If you’d like to help the family through donations, you can donate to the following payment systems:

PayPal: Sasha Combs
Venmo: @SashaAlexisCombs
Cashapp: $SashaAlexisCombs

Combs hopes to one day turn Angels for Axel into a nonprofit has she wants to help advocate for both children with cancer and their families.