Dad goes to extremes to make dying son's last days special

HOUSTON -- Rockets star Dwight Howard posted a video giving his condolences to the family of a boy stricken with a rare form of brain cancer.

James Fisher, 7, died Monday at his home in Beasley. His father spoke with exclusively with ABC-13 and show us an impressive sports collection which includes signed jerseys, footballs, basketballs and softballs by some of the top athletes in the country.

"He always looked up to them," said Jeff Fisher. "They were superstars. That's what he always wanted to be."

Fisher said it started about 17 months ago, when his son James fell and hit his head.

"We took him in for stitches, got him a CAT scan, and we went from getting stitches and going home to getting stitches and straight to Texas Children's," Fisher said.

Doctors said James had a rare brain tumor.

"It's a very cancerous tumor that's embedded in the brain stem," said Fisher. "Operating was not an option. They gave him 15 months to live."

The terminal diagnosis turned the Fisher family upside down. Fisher said he was able to turn his grief into a mission to fulfill his son's bucket list.

"I guess you never know when your time comes. Given that diagnoses, I took it to heart and I tried to fulfill every dream he had."

It wouldn't come easy. The first thing on the bucket list was to meet the Duck Dynasty cast. It took thousands of emails, Fisher said, but it happened.

"He ran in circles excited. It was priceless, kind of what it's like when he receives Hot Wheels. It's priceless," said Fisher.

And it didn't stop there, the Sugar Land Skeeters baseball team welcomed James with open arms, and so did Texans star JJ Watt. James has a photo of he and Watt hugging it out on the field and another photo of Rockets star Dwight Howard lifting James up before a game for a dunk. James gave Howard a special bracelet that the star player still wears to every game.

"He fell in love with Dwight, I guess you could say, and every time the game came on, it was dad look he's still wearing my bracelet," Fisher said.

As the weeks went on, there were more people who brought James strength. The Texans Tailgater would visit James bedside and most of all his cousin Dylan, who was more like his brother.

"We would slide down in laundry baskets sometimes down the stairs," said Dylan Hooper.

On Monday, with his father and his mother by his bedside, James took his last breath.

"He got to do everything he asked for," said Fisher.

But there was one thing Fisher said he could not do in time. He promised James he would cover every wall of his room with rare Hot Wheels. He's still has several walls to go.

The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office also made James an honorary deputy for the day. They will be at his funeral which is scheduled for one week from Wednesday with the color guard.