Carolina recently helped provide DJ Allen a trip of a lifetime. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (CHARLOTTE SPORTS LIVE) -- If they ever met Panthers owner David Tepper, most fans would likely be happy with a just a simple handshake and an autograph. DJ Allen; however, wanted something more. “I have been seeing the games,” he says. “I have been seeing how they’ve been playing. And I mean, they could do a lot better.” Hey, this 14-year-old kid tells it like it is. Regardless of the sport, DJ shoots for the moon. Hence, why he had no problem asking for a contract with his hometown football team. Carolina Panthers star cornerback Jaycee Horn selected to first Pro Bowl “Because I don’t drop the ball,” he explains. All kidding aside, Carolina could use a guy like DJ. Sure, he’s a bit undersized for an NFL player, but if there ever was someone who epitomizes what it means to be a Panther and the spirit of Keep Pounding, it’s him. Even if up until this interview, he didn’t have the slightest idea of who Sam Mills was, the man behind that famous motto. “That’s cool,” he shrugs as he learns Mills’ story. What isn’t cool though is the ongoing battle that DJ’s facing. Since he started experiencing pain in his foot over a year ago, he’s become a regular at Levine Children’s Hospital. “We got this diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma,” recalled DJ’s mother Jannine. “Very few children get it and when they do, the prognosis is not good.” DJ Allen at Levine Children's Hospital. But much like the late Mills did as he faced cancer, DJ has continued his fight, wowing his doctors with personality in the process. "I think for DJ, we ask a lot of him and as I said before, he really has overcome a lot,” Levine Dr. Thomas Russell said. So this past fall, they along with the Panthers, decided to give him a weekend he’d never forget. “We got to go to Denver,” said Jannine of their trip out west. “We had some of the legends from the Panthers (come meet us at the game). It was such an amazing experience for him.” Winston-Salem prepares to welcome NASCAR fans While he didn’t end up with a contact from Tepper, DJ still came home happy. He’ll keep pounding so that one day he can inspire others the same way Mills now inspires him. “Knowing that I got the opportunity to be with them, I don’t have to worry about so many bad things that happen,” DJ said. And that’s a mantra.  “You just got to keep going. Not worrying about the bad and just thinking of the positive,” he adds. Any Panther player past or present can understand.