By Susan Shinn Turner

For the Salisbury Post

CONCORD — Last summer, Dakota Roseborough’s parents, Gwyneth Roseborough and Jasper Franklin, noticed he’d lost his appetite.

Doctors blamed it on puberty, but Roseborough and Franklin weren’t so sure.

In October, Dakota, then 10, took a helmet-to-helmet clash during a football game. He was OK, but about two weeks later, woke up crying, his mother says.

“It was a different kind of cry.”

His parents took him to the emergency room, and Dakota had a CT scan.

“This doesn’t have anything to do with football,” the doctor told them.

There was a spot on his brain, and he was transported immediately to Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte.

Roseborough and Franklin were alarmed at how fast the ambulance drove. Hours later, Dakota was in surgery.

“The oncologist will see you in the morning,” they were told afterward.

They were stunned.

“You hear it,” Roseborough says, “but you don’t hear it.”

Dakota was diagnosed with a germinoma tumor — the best brain cancer to have, as it turns out. It was malignant, but Dakota’s chances were good. He endured chemotherapy and radiation.

Dakota completed radiation March 27 and celebrated his 11th birthday on April 24.

“It was a celebration of him being through a tough time,” Franklin says.

He met many celebrities while in the hospital. Greg Olsen from the Carolina Panthers visited twice. He received a letter from the Seattle Seahawks, his favorite football team.

Roman Reigns, a WWE wrestler, visited.

“He was so down to earth,” Roseborough says. “He said, ‘I am so glad to have a kid who talks.’”

He and the outgoing Dakota had no trouble carrying on a conversation. Dakota had written down all his questions beforehand.

Through it all, Dakota kept up with his schoolwork and finished fifth grade at Pitts School Road Elementary School. He’ll go to sixth grade at Winkler Middle School this fall, and the rumor is that the HomeTown Heroes — a local charity that assists children with cancer — just might escort him on the first day of school.

Dakota is the grandson of Michael and Tangy Roseborough of Salisbury, and other family members still live in the area.

Dakota and his parents now live in Concord. When they lived in Salisbury, he attended North Hills Christian School.

“Our North Hills family has kept in touch and followed up,” Roseborough says.

They’ve also received support and prayers from Gethsemane Baptist Church, her home congregation.

Dakota was able to play baseball this spring. He had his port taken out right before the first game of the season.

He won’t play football again, not because it’s not OK, but because his mom prefers he doesn’t.

He’s slowly getting his strength back, but his dad says he’s eating is still “sketchy,” just because food still has a bit of a metallic taste to him.

The only side effect from the disease is the condition of diabetes insipidus, but he takes medication to control it. It causes extreme thirst and frequent urination.

Because Dakota was so fortunate in his recovery, Roseborough and Franklin are in the process of starting a foundation, Dakota Strong, to help other families in similar situations.

“Your life stops, but nobody else’s life stops,” Roseborough says. “You still have bills. You may have other children. We want to help in some way, even if it’s just with groceries or gas.”

The family — which includes Roseborough’s daughter, Moriah, 9 — has participated in fundraisers for Levine Children’s Hospital.

“We will always participate at Levine’s,” Roseborough says. “Always.”

Another happy ending to this story is that Franklin and Roseborough have decided to marry on March 30, his late mother’s birthday.

“It’s kinda storybook,” Franklin says. “When Dakota was sick, he told us his wish was that we be a family. I guess it put the stamp on being meant to be. It made sense. Our differences got put to the side. When we had to co-exist, it was harder, and it pushed us to the edge. But we realized what was important. The differences seem petty now.”