|
Hatten FamilyMorissa & Malik
|
Malik's Story
M A L I K
Born in Longview · Raised in Gladewater, East Texas · A Miracle in Motion
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11
Some people arrive in this world quietly. Others arrive as a gift so specific, so necessary, that their very existence changes the course of someone else’s life. Malik is the latter. Born in Longview, Texas and raised in the small East Texas town of Gladewater, he came into the world as his mother’s lifeline — literally. His mother was battling a failing kidney that would have to be removed, and doctors made clear that without Malik, she would not have survived. God had a purpose for this young man long before he ever drew his first breath — and that purpose began with saving his mother’s life.
Raised by a single mom who fought for her own life and fought for his, Malik grew up knowing that every day is a gift. When he was just two years old, what seemed like an ordinary cold led to something extraordinary. A routine visit to the doctor turned into a rush to Children’s Hospital, where he was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy — a serious heart condition that most children his age would never even know to name. In that moment, a journey began. Not a journey of fear, but of faith.
At 13, doctors told him he would not live past 17. Malik heard them — and then he looked to the One who has the final say.
That prognosis was not the end of the story. It was simply the place where ordinary courage ends and divine purpose steps in. Malik never wavered. He has been a member of his home church since the age of two, and that foundation of faith has shaped everything about who he is. He loves Jesus — not as a last resort, but as his first love, his anchor, his reason.
WHO HE IS
Lover of Jesus · Natural Comedian · Protector · Born Leader · Competitor · Servant Heart
Malik is an athlete at heart — active, competitive, and full of energy. He lights up any room he walks into, equal parts comedian and kind soul. He leads naturally, protects fiercely, and loves deeply. Every week, he volunteers and serves at his church, not because he has to, but because generosity is simply who he is.
Now 16 and entering his junior year, Malik carries an A/B honor roll distinction alongside everything else he carries in life. Science is his passion, and chemical engineering is his calling. With his eyes set on the University of Colorado, he is already mapping out a future that once — according to a doctor’s timeline — was not supposed to exist. A boy from Gladewater, heading to the mountains, with a God-given story that no university application could ever fully contain.
He is not just surviving. He is thriving — and he is only getting started.
Malik is proof that miracles still happen in small towns. That a cold caught at two years old can be the beginning of a testimony. That a mother’s love and a child’s faith can outrun a doctor’s timeline. That God does not make mistakes — not in Gladewater, not with this family, and certainly not with this young man.
A True Miracle · Born in Longview, Texas · Future Buffalo — University of Colorado · Class of 2027
Born in Longview · Raised in Gladewater, East Texas · A Miracle in Motion
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11
Some people arrive in this world quietly. Others arrive as a gift so specific, so necessary, that their very existence changes the course of someone else’s life. Malik is the latter. Born in Longview, Texas and raised in the small East Texas town of Gladewater, he came into the world as his mother’s lifeline — literally. His mother was battling a failing kidney that would have to be removed, and doctors made clear that without Malik, she would not have survived. God had a purpose for this young man long before he ever drew his first breath — and that purpose began with saving his mother’s life.
Raised by a single mom who fought for her own life and fought for his, Malik grew up knowing that every day is a gift. When he was just two years old, what seemed like an ordinary cold led to something extraordinary. A routine visit to the doctor turned into a rush to Children’s Hospital, where he was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy — a serious heart condition that most children his age would never even know to name. In that moment, a journey began. Not a journey of fear, but of faith.
At 13, doctors told him he would not live past 17. Malik heard them — and then he looked to the One who has the final say.
That prognosis was not the end of the story. It was simply the place where ordinary courage ends and divine purpose steps in. Malik never wavered. He has been a member of his home church since the age of two, and that foundation of faith has shaped everything about who he is. He loves Jesus — not as a last resort, but as his first love, his anchor, his reason.
WHO HE IS
Lover of Jesus · Natural Comedian · Protector · Born Leader · Competitor · Servant Heart
Malik is an athlete at heart — active, competitive, and full of energy. He lights up any room he walks into, equal parts comedian and kind soul. He leads naturally, protects fiercely, and loves deeply. Every week, he volunteers and serves at his church, not because he has to, but because generosity is simply who he is.
Now 16 and entering his junior year, Malik carries an A/B honor roll distinction alongside everything else he carries in life. Science is his passion, and chemical engineering is his calling. With his eyes set on the University of Colorado, he is already mapping out a future that once — according to a doctor’s timeline — was not supposed to exist. A boy from Gladewater, heading to the mountains, with a God-given story that no university application could ever fully contain.
He is not just surviving. He is thriving — and he is only getting started.
Malik is proof that miracles still happen in small towns. That a cold caught at two years old can be the beginning of a testimony. That a mother’s love and a child’s faith can outrun a doctor’s timeline. That God does not make mistakes — not in Gladewater, not with this family, and certainly not with this young man.
A True Miracle · Born in Longview, Texas · Future Buffalo — University of Colorado · Class of 2027
Malik at 2 when he was diagnosed
|
|