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Mother who lost 3-year-old to cancer share how St. Jude gave the "gift of more time"

September marks Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

MEMPHIS, Tennessee — Brady was an adventurer, his family said he loved going to the zoo and exploring nature. He was a ball of fire who never met a stranger.

When he started to get headaches and eye pain when he was two, a pediatrician said it was just a virus. Then Brady started vomiting.  

“I took him back to that same pediatrician and I demanded answers and the next day we scheduled for a CT scan where it revealed that Brady had a grapefruit sized tumor in his brain,” said mom Katy Mortimer.

Brady was rushed to a local children’s hospital in where they learned he had a rare, aggressive tumor.  

His family decided to pack up from Kansas so Brady could be treated at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis where families don’t have to worry about a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food. 

“As soon as we walked in the hospital doors, this place was amazing,” said Mortimer. “They knew we were coming, they knew Brady’s name, they knew Brady’s diagnosis. Brady got treated there and they gave us hope finally for once.”

Brady passed away at St. Jude at the age of 3 in 2012. His mom said the hospital was able to provide comfort at a fearful time for her family. 

“From the nurse, to the doctor, to the radiologist, to the lady in the cafeteria to the guy that was cooking Brady’s favorite chicken strips. It’s just such a magical place.”

The hospital also offered the invaluable.

“Brady had a less than 10% chance of living because the tumor was so aggressive,” shared Mortimer. “But St. Jude was able to provide our family with the gift of more time. How do you buy time?”

Mortimer’s also advocating for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, which is represented by the color yellow.

In addition to showing your gold on social media throughout September, there are other ways to help like donating. Just $3 can help provide pediatric isolation masks. $22 helps provide rehabilitation weights, and $30 provides a daily meal card for a family.

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