Lawrence residents Vicki Robertson and her grandson Christian Faulkner, 7, create Christmas ornaments, which Christian will deliver to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., when he goes to the hospital Monday for his last chemotherapy treatment.

Christian Faulkner is winning his battle with cancer.

Although the 7-year-old Lawrence boy’s fight isn’t over, the lymphoma he was diagnosed with nearly two years ago is in remission. The tumors found in his chest are long gone.

On Monday, Christian will go to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., to receive his last chemotherapy treatment. The surgical mask he has had to wear to ward off germs will come off in about a month. He already is being weaned from it, said his mother, Amanda Faulkner.

“Looking at him without a mask, you’d never know he was sick,” Faulkner said. “He looks just like all the other kiddos.”

Christian has been mostly positive about his cancer and the difficult things that had to be done to fight it, Faulkner said. He has been in and out of hospitals. He has had to put up with feeding tubes. He missed school.

“He’s definitely had his days when he has looked up at us and clearly stated, ‘I’m tired. I’m done. I don’t want to do this anymore,'” she said. “Those days were very difficult. We would sit him down and tell him, ‘You’re going to get through this.'”

Christian has had support along the way from family members, friends and classmates. He has a recording of a song written and played specifically for him by the Songs of Love Foundation, a nonprofit entity that records songs for children with life-threatening illnesses. When he’s depressed, he likes to listen to that song as well as the Rascal Flatts song “Skin,” which is about a little girl’s battle against cancer, his mother said.

“Those songs give him hope that he can make it, that he can beat it,” she said.

On Dec. 2, a surprise party for Christian will take place at Sunflower School where he attends first grade. Faulkner said it was OK to mention the party in this story as long as readers understand that Christian does not know about it. A lot of people are expected to attend.

“It’s to congratulate him,” Faulkner said. “It’s to let him know and see the big group of people who have been following him and supporting him throughout these two years.”

The Faulkners also will take the opportunity to thank everyone who helped the family and Christian and who donated money to help with expenses.

“We want everyone to know that it means a lot to us to know that everyone is pulling for Christian,” Faulkner said.

A scrapbook is being compiled of cards and other well-wishing mementos Christian has received since he got sick.

“He can take it with him, and when he’s having a hard time, he can have the book and all these kind words to fall back on,” Faulkner said.