Meet Clay
Clayton Neil Ortega was born on July 25, 1997 in Temple, Texas at Scott & White Hospital.
His earlier years were spent in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston, Texas. He lived there with his father Aubrey, mother Tammy, and 3 brothers Aaron, Brett and Derek. Clay also has a sister named Brooke. He moved to Gatesville, Texas and attended Gatesville Intermediate School. In the summer of 2008, Clay and family moved to Oklahoma to be closer to his fathers job.
He has always been a happy little guy who enjoys any activity that involves a challenge, be it a tough video game or trying to jump over his dad’s head from the other couch. He enjoys video games – Rock Band and Guitar Hero are at the top of the list, and loves to watch Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Toon Disney. His favorite show at the moment is Ben 10. He can also be heard singing one of the latest Flight of the Conchords songs at the top of his lungs, or shouting out spells from Harry Potter. Another passion of Clay’s is drawing. He has a natural talent for art and has made several really creative drawings.
If you are in Clay’s address book chances are you’ve received a picture of at least one cat. If you’re wondering why, its because Clay loves cats! He has a pet cat named Shadow, named after his favorite Sonic the Hedgehog character, Shadow the Hedgehog.
On July 18, 2008 his and our worlds were changed when we learned that he could possibly have cancerous growths in his stomach. Five days later at the St. Francis Children’s Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma we had the answer, it was cancer, more specifically it was Burkitt’s lymphoma. Clay’s doctor believes he will have a 100% recovery, which we cannot thank God enough for. His doctor is calling for 6 months of chemotherapy, and the road to recovery would be difficult for anyone, but Clayton isn’t your average boy - Clayton is a hero. Clayton will survive.
