Brayden was a kind, positive, athletic, and charismatic 10-year-old when he was first diagnosed with a rare type of brain cancer. He underwent brain surgery, 30 radiation treatments and oral chemotherapy, all while going to school, playing basketball, and always with a smile. Most people had no idea he was a cancer patient.

About a year after finishing radiation, Brayden started getting horrible headaches and was later diagnosed with Leptomeningeal Disease, a cancer in the CSF fluid of the brain and spinal fluid. He died on May 28, 2024, just two weeks before his 12th birthday.

In the months before he died, Brayden spent nearly seven weeks in patient at CHLA. We were fortunate that both my husband and I could stay at the hospital with him during that time. We had good health insurance, support from both of our employers, and family who helped take care of our two daughters. However, during that time, we saw many children whose families were not as lucky. We met parents who could not stay with their sick child undergoing chemotherapy because they had to go into work. We met single mothers who had to leave every night to be with their other children. We met kids who had been battling this horrible disease for years, with no end in sight.

The other startling statistic we learned was that the federal government invests just 4% of its annual cancer research budget to pediatric cancer – less than $3.00 per child. We can do better. We will do better.