HOUSTON — The TCU Horned Frogs were crushed by the Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football National Championship game, but it's what they did off the field that won the hearts of a Houston family.
Three-year-old Hudson Baker has been battling brain cancer since November 2021.
"That's the news that no parents want to hear, that he had a large mass in the bottom of his brain," his mother, Brittany Baker, told CBS DFW.
After brain surgery, chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, Hudson was cancer-free by September. Two months later, the cancer was back.
"Right now we are trying to wrap our head around this gut-wrenching news and make a path forward," his other mother, Jana Baker, posted on Facebook. "Hudson beat this once and he will beat it again. Please pray and pray hard!"
In between treatments, Hudson likes to golf and root for his favorite sports teams. The Bakers plan to auction sports memorabilia to raise money for the StrongLikeHudson.org foundation to help put a dent in the mountain of medical bills.
Hudson comes from a family full of TCU alumni and Jana's niece is dating Frogs tight end Carter Ware. Ware and his teammates came through by donating a TCU football autographed by the entire team.
"He's like, 'Don't worry, I got it," Jana said. "They've got a lot going on right now, so that means more than anyone will ever know. Even just to see all of the comments on the TCU fan football page, that's bringing in so many more prayers."
The couple hopes the signed football, which is still in LA with the team, will bring the team lots of luck for the big game. And they know it will bring big smiles from Hudson when he sees it.
He started radiation treatments at Texas Children's on Wednesday.
"He keeps us going every day. He fights every day," Jana said.
"Hudson has definitely shown resilience you would never be able to tell what he's going through," Brittany said.
The TCU football and other items will be auctioned during a silent online auction so watch the foundation's website for a date. They're also raising money through golf tournaments.