VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Travis May's life in southern Virginia Beach with his partner Erin is far from his early years in the Berkley section of Norfolk and the Green Run section of Virginia Beach, with his mother a drug addict and his father behind bars. "Meet Travis May," the story of his life, was released on social media one week ago. "So the [1990s] just represented hopelessness, despair and an inevitable death at a young age," May said. "I accepted death." As a teenager, armed with a gun, May committed 28 felonies that would put him behinds bars for life. Over the years, May grew up behind bars and he was pardoned by the governor in 2018. A news reporter broke the news. "It was a reporter from The Virginian-Pilot and he said, 'Is your name Travis ... May? If so, congratulations,'" May said. Later that year, May launched his mission to take back the community. "I went back to [the] Berkeley Boys and Girls Club, and I wanted to speak to them babies to let them know no circumstances ever speak to your worth," May said. His partner, Erin Renvyle, is proud of her husband's mission. "Well, I believe that his character, we can change," Renvyle said. "We make mistakes." On Valentine's Day 2023, life for the family took a dramatic turn when Harmony, now seven, was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer. "Only two more months and then I'll be done," said Harmony, who has two chemotherapy treatments left. Big sister Lilyann agrees. When one person in the family has cancer, everyone has cancer. "It just feels really bad," Lilyann said. "And so we're just trying to support our family as much as we can." In his dark times, May said he would have given up his freedom. "And that's something that I would never thought would come to my mind," May said. "But when you're on your knees and you're praying to God and you're telling Him anything, you would do anything, that's when you start to run the checklist of the most extremes, because you feel like no child's deserving of this type of struggle."