Mentone school comes together for classmate fighting cancer

MENTONE, Calif. (KABC) -- A second grader in Mentone is fighting cancer, but support from his classmates shows he's not facing the journey alone.

All students at Mentone Elementary School went straight to the field Thursday for a special show of support for their classmate and friend Daniel Yglesias

His mother said it started with a stomachache on the first day of school just one month ago. Now, he's undergoing chemotherapy.

"He's doing OK, he has his days, but for the most part, he's doing good," said Victoria Yglesias.

The school decided to gather and form a massive letter "D" for Daniel for a picture-perfect moment of support.

"The original idea came from our school custodian, and it just evolved into something huge," said Sonya Balingit, principal of Mentone Elementary.

San Bernardino County Fire officials helped organized the event and took the photo using one of their ladder trucks.

"If this can help in some way with his healing process, no words can explain how that feels," said Capt. Bret Haney.

A healing that everyone joined for Daniel.

"They are learning a lot about compassion, how to care for one another and how important it is to be a compassionate person in life," said Balingit.

Daniel's family expressed gratitude for students and staff.

"It feels really good to have all the support that we do have," said Yglesias. "The whole school, all together."