High school football player Derrick Pittman plans to 'tackle' his cancer

PEARLAND, Texas (KTRK) -- As a 5-year-old, football is all this Shadow Creek High School student thought about.[br /][br /]"It's just something I wake up (and) dream about every day," said Derrick Pittman.[br /][Ads /][br /]Waking up early for practice and doing his best on the field every day was his passion.[br /][br /]Now, his passion is on the sidelines.[br /][br /]Throughout the season, Pittman had shoulder pain.[br /][br /]"It didn't stop. The pain did not stop."[br /][br /]It only got worse when he fell on it while playing in the championship game last year.[br /][Ads /][br /]He went to the doctor to get it checked out and was told he had stage four bone cancer.[br /][br /]"I didn't really say too much," said Pittman. "I was thinking about whatever it is, we can figure it out and get it taken care of so I can get back on the field."[br /][br /]His mother, Roquethia Staggers, couldn't believe it.[br /][br /]"I was like, 'What?'" said Staggers. "Like no, not him. As a mother with an athlete, you would never think that it would be this serious because they always ache, they always say this hurts."[br /][br /]Staggers said all they can do is tackle it.[br /][Ads /][br /]"Crying don't really help you," she said. "Just have to be strong for him and teach him how to fight, then we have that one and the medal."[br /][br /]For Pittman, there's no crying in football and no crying for his cancer.[br /][br /]"I just keep faith in God," said Pittman. "I know He has a plan for me, every day I wake up I know he has a plan for me."[br /][br /][/i]TJ PARKER[i]Follow TJ Parker on [url HREF="https://www.facebook.com/TJParkerABC13/" TARGET="_blank" REL="nofollow"]Facebook[/url] and [url HREF="https://twitter.com/TJParkerABC13" TARGET="_blank" REL="nofollow"]Twitter[/url].