Corey Nickell never met a stranger.

"He was a happy baby who just loved everybody ... When he got older, even if he only knew you for two minutes, when he left he would say ’Bye, love you,’" said Corey’s mom Debra Nickell.

Corey, a local hero and a familiar name in many Clermont County homes, lost his battle against neuroblastoma cancer in early May - but gone will never mean forgotten.

Corey was diagnosed with neuroblastoma Feb. 9, 2007, after his parents noticed his belly was swollen and he had a lump behind his ear. Corey also was complaining of stomach pains and headaches.

"We thought he just had a typical toddler belly until it was unusually large ... The morning he had a doctor’s appointment, he woke up screaming, just screaming in pain," Debra said.

After lab work and scans, doctor’s confirmed that it was some type of childhood cancer. The situation was so grim that Corey started chemotherapy even before the official diagnosis.

"He had four tumors and every bone in his body was full of cancer, but you would never know it," Debra said. "He was stronger and more courageous and than anyone I’ve ever known."

In December of 2007, Corey was cancer free and a "happy little dude," as Jim puts it.

Ten months later, in October 2008, Corey fought two more tumors before being pronounced cancer-free again in March 2009.

But in early April 2009, things took a turn for the worse.

Corey woke up one day and was in so much pain he couldn’t walk. He had been playing with his friends the day before so Debra and Jim thought he might have just overdone it. Corey took a painkiller and went fishing with Jim later that day.

A couple days later, when Corey wasn’t feeling better, they returned to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and demanded more scans. What they saw was devastating - the cancer had taken over Corey’s four-year-old body once again.

"We asked if there was anything else we could do, if more chemo (therapy) would do any good, but the doctor’s said he wasn’t going to get any better. We had to let him go to cruise with his little buddies," Jim said, looking to Heaven.

Corey died May 8 - 27 days before his fifth birthday.

Jim says he tries to see the positive through the hardship.

"I believe he was an angel sent here to do a job and one day we’ll understand why. Life isn’t about how many years you live, it’s about what you accomplish in those years and Corey accomplished a lot. He touched so many lives," Jim said. "I hope his story makes other parents hold their kids a little tighter and love them a little more."

Looking back on the last two years, Debra and Jim, a Milford firefighter, are extremely grateful for the support of the Milford community and the Milford Community Fire Department.

"They have been there for us 100 percent. A family never wants to be in this position, ever, but the community and the fire department bent over backwards for us," Jim said. "We met a lot of families in the hospital who didn’t have that kind of support. We are so thankful."

The Milford Community Fire Department held fundraisers and helped build Corey’s Make a Wish room. Nearby fire departments would send someone to Milford to cover Jim’s shift. Community members would make donations and have fundraisers to help the Nickells financially. Corey was even the grand marshal of the 2008 Frontier Days Parade.

While the community is helping the Nickells, they are working to help others.

Debra has teamed up with a mother she met at Children’s Hospital to create Rally ’Round the Gold Ribbon, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness and money for childhood cancer research. A few group members are traveling to Washington D.C. with CureSearch, a national organization that shares their cause, for a march on Capitol Hill.

"Right now it’s two moms on a mission and our mission is to do for childhood cancer what the Susan G. Komen Foundation did for breast cancer," Debra said. "I couldn’t save my own child, so I want to help save someone else’s."

To donate or request free gold ribbons, visit Rally ’Round the Gold Ribbon.