My Awesome Son Joey

I raised my only child, Joey, as a healthy baby and young adult. In 1992, he started getting bad headaches and thought he needed glasses. When he got what we thought was the flu, I took him to the family doctor. The doctor said to go over to the hospital to get checked, as he thought he had an infection around his brain.

Long story short, took tests and found out he had a brain tumor. More tests at our local hospital before he was sent to the university hospital in Denver, where the best doctor told me he had an anaplastic astrocytoma brainstem tumor. Joey went through chemo and radiation because it was not an operable tumor. They put a shunt in him. 

Joey and I were close, and we talked about how this was very bad. He asked if he was going to die, and I said, being very honest, “Yes, it was terminal.” Brought him home, and they wanted me to put him in a nursing home, and I said no way. He stayed in our home.

Joey died 11 months after he was diagnosed. It will be 31 years this coming June 6. I miss him each and every day. Hopefully, they will find a cure for his type of brain tumor and all other brain tumors very soon.

I have done the brain tumor walk here every year except for when COVID would not let us walk. I am so proud of my son that he never complained. I hope this helps other families. Now, I have a beautiful angel waiting for me.

Opinions expressed within this story belong solely to the author and do not reflect the views or opinions of the National Brain Tumor Society.