No Way Out

By Tracey Blackmore

Brooks was so full of life, love and energy.

He enjoyed typical 5-year-old boy things: Hot Wheels, Legos, sports, video games, the outdoors, fighting with his siblings and playing with his best buddies.

Life was good; life was perfect in our eyes. But life can change in the blink of an eye.

On June 13, 2015, Brooks was unexpectedly diagnosed with stage IV astrocytomas. The doctors had found cancer cells in his thalamus and in his midbrain.

I can vividly remember the doctor trying to explain what was happening to our son.

“I’m so sorry but there is no cure for your son’s brain tumors. They are inoperable and there are no known effective treatment options except radiation of his brain, and that would only prolong his life a few more months.”

Inoperable? No known treatments? A few more months?

These were the words that forever changed our lives. We had no options, no effective treatment plan, no cure…NO WAY OUT.

We felt helpless, alone and shattered. What could we do to save our boy’s life? We did what any parent would do when hearing this devastating news…we got on our knees and prayed. Then we got right back on our feet again and fought like hell.

Brooks fought so bravely enduring brain radiation for 6 weeks and daily oral chemotherapy. During those treatments, he lost his hair, his ability to walk, to talk and to eat by mouth. He lost full function of his bladder and bowels, as well as full control of his facial and eye movement.

In many ways he was functioning like a newborn baby, but with the mental capacity of a 5-year-old.

He did everything he was asked to do and then a miracle happened. The tumors started to shrink and he began to regain function! Our hope was growing and we thought maybe, just maybe there was A WAY OUT.

But our world was rocked again on March 16, 2016, when a cervical tumor was found on Brooks’ spine. This was our dead end. We received second and third opinions, as well as researched all clinical trial options. Again, our only chance of treating his symptoms and prolonging his life was spinal radiation. This time, the tumor was too aggressive and resistant to the radiation.

Brooks lost his brave battle with brain cancer on May 21, 2016. He lived 6 years, 5 months, 1 day, 9 hours, and 22 minutes. Yes, we know exactly how long our boy blessed our lives because every minute was a gift — a gift that was stolen from us because we were given no effective treatment options for his cancer.

We had NO WAY OUT.

Kids with cancer need more treatment options. Because there is not enough government funding supporting childhood cancer research, researchers are forced to turn to private institutions to bridge this financial gap. Without money, the research cannot move forward. It is up to us to save our children!

This is why my family is passionate about raising money through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. It is our new hope that with the launch of The Defeat Pediatric Brain Tumors Research Collaborative, led by the National Brain Tumor Society and supported by St. Baldrick’s, cures for kids like Brooks will soon be a reality.

Instead of feeling like there is NO WAY OUT, parents faced with the same devastating news will soon be able to look past the despair and hear the words options, cure, hope and future.

A NEW WAY OUT.

No family should lose a child to cancer. Help fund the most promising research and donate to the “Be Brooks Brave” St. Baldrick’s fundraiser.