ROCHESTER – As 5-year-old Gabe Downey walked down the steps to Mayo Clinic's Children Center on Friday, he was greeted with the kind of reaction one would expect for a high-ranking military officer.

After all, he now holds the honorary rank of Sergeant Major Gabe Downey.

About two dozen active-duty soldiers from the U.S. Army traveled to Rochester to greet Downey, who is battling a rare form of cancer known as rhabdomyosarcoma, after hearing about Downey's journey through a social media post. One by one, the soldiers approached Downey to offer him a fist bump or a high five as they presented him with patches they had earned from missions across the world.

"We're very grateful ... knowing that we could try and make his Christmas a little bit better with the support of our organization, to let him know that he's not alone in what it is that he's going through," said Army Sergeant First Class Michael Davis, who worked with Mayo to arrange the visit.

Downey was found to have cancer in April after his mother, Riley, noticed blood coming from his ear. Initially, the family thought it may have just been an infection. But after visiting the hospital, a cyst from his ear was taken in for a biopsy that showed he had rhabdomyosarcoma.

The treatment, including radiation and chemotherapy, has been brutal on the 5-year-old, Riley said. At one point, he told his family he didn't have the strength to keep fighting the disease.

Sean Baker
Gabe Downey sits with his parents, Riley and Samuel, after a visit from soldiers from the U.S. Army. The Army presented him with gifts and the honorary title of master sergeant.

"When you hear a 5-year-old tell you, 'I don't want to fight it, I don't want to do this,' that's a little heartbreaking," Riley said.

The visit by the soldiers on Friday was one step toward giving Gabe the strength and courage to keep fighting. After a couple of setbacks, he will find out in January how much his tumor has shrunk. By spring, he could wrap up his treatments, though he will continue to have scans until the age of 12.

"He's had a long road so far," said Samuel Downey, Gabe's father. "And even though it's not quite a year that he'll be in treatment, it feels like an eternity. It does. But he's strong and has strong genes. And God's got him through."

Downey's family ties to the Army run deep. Riley served in the Army for six years, while Samuel was active for three. His stepdad is also in the National Guard. The family said the visit to Mayo — along with patches he has received in the mail from around the world — shows how far the Army will go to support their own.

"I'm just overwhelmed with it, but in a very good way," Riley Downey said. "And knowing that Gabe has all this support; I don't even know where to begin with the amount of support that he's getting from the Army."