Charlotte County boy battling cancer is paying it forward with toy drive

A 9-year-old Punta Gorda boy battling brain cancer is giving back to the community that has supported him.

Alex Meyer set a goal of collecting 1,000 toys to give to kids going through a tough time, just like he is.

From games to stuffed animals to arts and crafts, Alex is working to collect toys for the kids at Golisano Children’s Hospital, a place where he and his family have spent hours and hours since March.

“Alex has what is called an optic nerve glioma. It’s a little bit bigger than a golf ball,” said his mom, Tiffany Meyer.

“It’s a brain tumor, mine is cancer,” Alex said.

It sits directly on his optic chiasm and he’s down to just 25% of his vision, but that’s enough to see the smiles he’s eager to deliver to kids.

“It is pretty hard going through this, I’ve gotta admit,” he said.

“I just figured to give a kid a toy this Christmas, it will give them a smile.”

A boy going through so much still making sure everyone has a magic holiday season.

“If you donate a toy, you’ll make a kid feel pretty happy. Trust me,” he said.

If you’d like to follow Alex’s journey, check out this Facebook page. If you’d like to donate to his toy drive, he has set up a Wish List on Amazon.

Alex has already collected 250 toys from community members in the last week.