Bret Laczynski Brain Cancer Research Fund

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Bret Laczynski Brain Cancer Research Fund

On September 28, 2002, our son Bret was diagnosed with a very aggressive high risk Medulloblastoma at the age of 10 years old. The Ann & Robert H.
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This is Bret's Story

Bret was like any other normal healthy 10 year old boy just starting the 4th grade. He was always a straight “A” student, favorite sports to play were soccer and golf and he was a diehard Cubs fan! Although Bret was a very shy boy by nature, once he felt comfortable with you, he loved to make you laugh with his one-of-kind sense of humor. You would have never thought that thi

s handsome little blonde- haired, green-eyed boy was about to face the biggest fight that no child should ever have to. Bret completed a total of 13 days into the school year when he started to experience unexplainable symptoms such as, vomiting for no apparent reason, extreme tiredness, neck pain, an unsteady gait and finally double-vision. About 4 weeks passed of pediatricians not having any answers, so we took him to the emergency room near our home in Indiana. On September 28, 2002, a CT Scan revealed a golf ball size mass in the fourth ventricle of his brain. An emergency surgery was performed that night to relieve the pressure (hydrocephalus) building up around his brain. We were told that due to the severity of his condition, Bret would need to be cared for by pediatric specialists. There was no time to even absorb what was actually happening to our son, a decision had to be made and fast. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago (or formerly Children’s Memorial Hospital as we knew it then) is known all over the country as one of the top children’s hospitals in the world, and it is where we wanted him to be. Bret was airlifted the next day by Children’s Transport Team. We were greeted by the top physicians in their fields, Dr. Stewart Goldman (Hematology/Oncology) and Dr. Tadanori Tomita (Neurosurgery). An MRI determined our worst nightmare, Stage 4 Medulloblastoma brain cancer. Surgery was performed 3 days later to resect the tumor. As if things couldn’t have gotten any worse, the tumor had metastasized to the entire surface of his brain. We were given the very aggressive course of treatment plan, but were also told that Bret was not expected to survive. How, as parents, do you even begin to explain this to your very sick little boy, when we don’t understand it ourselves? So Dr. Goldman stepped up and very graciously explained to Bret, in only words a child could understand. His response was simply, “ok”. And so it began. Bret was to begin a six week regimen of brain and spinal radiation, followed by fourteen months of chemotherapy. All of that was halted when Bret starting seizing uncontrollably. In order to stop the seizures, he had to be put in a drug induced sleep with monitored anti-convulsant medications. It was then that he had a very dangerous allergic reaction to one of the medications

and developed yet another life-threatening condition called Stevens Johnsons. He was in the PICU for about 3 weeks until the rash cleared up and he was finally able to begin his treatments. Because he was still considered unstable, they transported him everyday, for the entire six weeks, by ambulance to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Once chemotherapy began, it was about 4 months before Bret was finally able to go home. He wasn’t home for more than a few days at a time, because the chemotherapy side effects were bringing him right back to the hospital. Many surgeries, line infections and low counts kept us coming for about the first 2 years of his illness. He was only able to complete about 7 months of chemotherapy as we almost lost him twice due to the aggressiveness of the treatments. With Dr. Goldman’s advice, we had to stop treatments and hope for the best. Bret defied all odds and as time went on, he was well enough to attend a school for children with disabilities. The Special Education Learning Facility (S.E.L.F.) of Valparaiso, IN welcomed Bret with open arms. Because Bret experienced so much trauma to his brain, he was developmentally delayed, suffered apraxia (oral motor difficulties limiting feeding), aphasia (limited communication), seizure disorder, adrenal insufficiency and hypothyroidism, just to name a few. You would expect someone faced with so many challenges to be angry with everything around him, but not Bret. He walked in that school with so much confidence, joy and happiness, that he greeted the entire class with a big “hi, Me Bret”, and hugged everyone in the room. It was from that moment on when they all realized what a special young man he was. There wasn’t a mean bone in his body. He just exuded love and compassion to everyone he met. Bret continued to thrive for the next 5 years or so. Throughout that time, we had occasional hospital stays for one thing or another, as well as routine scans and blood tests, but against all odds, he remained in a stable condition. Our happier days quickly came to a halt in late November of 2011. We started to notice subtle changes with his vision, like not being able to focus, depth perception and an increase in seizures. As these signs worsened, we discovered a lump on the back of his head and immediately called his doctors. His routine scan was moved up and completed in January of 2012. Our worst fear had come true, another brain tumor. A biopsy a few days later revealed that this was a post-radiation tumor called a Chondroblastic Osteosarcoma, one that we knew he had a 20% risk of developing from his treatments the first time around. We again were faced with all of our options for Bret and were advised by his doctors that given how he was unable to tolerate the treatments the first go –around, they did not want to put him through that trauma again. So we were forced to make the decision that no parent should ever have to make. We wanted to give our son the best quality of life he had remaining and to make sure he was as comfortable as possible. The doctors had expected it to be 2 to 3 months left, but once again, Bret did things his own way and fought until the very end. On May 25, 2012, our courageous young boy lost his fight and passed away so very peacefully. Bret was truly a “Miracle Boy” in everyway imaginable. The doctors never thought that he would have survived another 9 1⁄2 years, so this is how he was commonly referred to every time we were there. Throughout his entire journey, he never once let you know that he was in pain, or that he was angry or sad about having cancer. He always made sure to tell us “Love You More” many times throughout the day. He has touched so many lives and continues to inspire people everywhere with his strength, courage, love and compassion, that it is why we were driven to start The Bret Laczynski Brain Cancer Research Fund in his honor. It is what Bret would have wanted to help in whatever way he could, so no child should ever have to suffer like he did. It is with great pride that I can call him my son and will continue to keep his memory alive. “Thumbs Up” Bret and “We Love You, We Love You More”!

08/07/2024

“Parents of Special Needs Children Find it Hard To Do Nice Things For
Themselves”
Colin Farrell 💚☘️

07/18/2024

💛🎗️🩶🎗️

Glioblastoma Awareness Day is 6 DAYS AWAY! 📆Every day, countless lives are turned upside down by the challenging diagnosis of glioblastoma. It’s a battle that affects not just the patient but their entire circle of loved ones, testing the limits of strength and resilience. Families stand by as their loved ones undergo challenging treatments, each day bringing its own set of uncertainties. Yet, amidst this darkness, there is a glimmer of hope fueled by the unwavering dedication of researchers, doctors, and advocates who refuse to give up.

Raising awareness for glioblastoma is more than a mission; it’s a lifeline. It’s a call to action for better funding, advanced research, and more effective treatments. It’s about shining a light on the stories of those who fight valiantly, day in and day out, and honoring the memories of those we’ve lost too soon. Every dollar raised, every social media post shared, and every conversation started brings us one step closer to breakthroughs that can change the course of this relentless disease.

We encourage you to share our message, donate, and even start your own fundraisers through our website. Join our social media fundraiser and help us spread the word far and wide. Together, we can make a difference. Every action, no matter how small, fuels the hope that one day, we will defeat this relentless disease.

We fight for the brave souls enduring this battle. We fight for their families who dream of a future without this heartbreaking illness. We fight to ensure that no one has to face this journey alone. But most importantly, we fight because we know that with enough awareness, support, and relentless effort, a cure is within our reach.

We need a cure, yesterday.🎗️

07/11/2024

Congrats To Anthony Rizzo on Being Nominated For The Mohammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award!

Check Out His “Swing For The Fences” Live Auction! All Proceeds Benefit The Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation To Help Families Battling Pediatric Cancer, A Foundation and A Cause Near and Dear To My Heart. 💛🩶🎗️

07/01/2024

💛🩶💛🩶💛🩶

06/24/2024

A Remarkable Woman…R.I.P. Ann Lurie. 🙏🏻 ❤️ Thank You For Your Unwavering Dedication and Generous Contributions Which Gave Us Such a Phenomenal Institution That is Saving The Lives of Children From All Over The World. ❤️

It’s with profound sadness we share Ann Lurie has passed away. Her unwavering dedication and generous contributions to our organization touched countless lives and will continue to be a source of inspiration to us all, and her absence will be deeply felt.

Ann’s experience as a pediatric critical care nurse at the former Children’s Memorial Hospital inspired her to make an unprecedented gift of $100 Million in 2007 that helped to build our beautiful Streeterville hospital. This gift continues to be the largest charitable investment received in our 142-year history.

Words cannot adequately convey the sadness we share with Ann’s family and friends and all those she touched across Chicago and far beyond. Lurie Children’s will forever be grateful to Ann for creating a legacy that allows us to provide the highest quality, most compassionate care for patients and families across Chicagoland and beyond. Ann’s life inspires us all to embrace the power of her mantra to “do a good deed daily.”

Read the full statement on behalf of Lurie Children’s President & CEO, Tom Shanley, MD, at https://www.luriechildrens.org/en/news-stories/the-passing-of-ann-lurie/

06/12/2024

Way To Go Valparaiso University! 💛🤎

06/11/2024

Making Leaps and Bounds With Another Clinical Trial! 💛🎗️

In what is being hailed as a major breakthrough, scientists from Northwestern Medicine have successfully used ultrasound technology to target and treat glioblastoma, a deadly brain cancer.

06/09/2024

YELLOW OUT DAY🎗️
At The PGA Memorial Tournament in Support of The Children’s Miracle Network Raising Funds For Pediatric Cancer ⛳️💛🎗️

2024 Memorial Tournament golfers and attendees will be seeing much more yellow heading into the final round at Muirfield Village Golf Club Sunday.

06/09/2024

I Will Talk About Him…For The Rest of My Life 💙🎗️💛

06/08/2024

WORLD BRAIN TUMOR DAY

Every Year, June 8th is Marked as a Critical Reminder of the Importance of Awareness, Early Detection, and Support For Those Affected by Brain Tumors.

Continued Research is Essential for Improving Treatments, Outcomes and Quality Of Life for Individuals with Brain Tumors.

It Is My Passion To Continue To Raise Funds and Awareness For Pediatric Brain Cancer Through Bret’s Foundation and Hope That Someday There Will Be A Cure So No Child Has to Suffer This Life Threatening Disease.

Keeping Sweet Mia In Our Daily Prayers 🙏🏻🩷

06/05/2024

I Will Absolutely Share Chase’s Story So Beautifully Written By His Mom💙💛🎗️💛🎗️💛🎗️

“We were to hear that phrase “NED” or “no evidence of disease” many times. And we were to use it too. It’s a phrase that speaks of winning a battle while never truly winning a war. The door is always left slightly ajar for another surprise piece of difficult news to slip inside. Because finding no evidence of disease does not mean a child is cured.”

Ellie Poole Ewoldt shares an emotional and raw account of her son’s survivorship journey: https://ow.ly/aoVg50RZfZw

05/31/2024

DAY 31 OF BRAIN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH 💛🎗️

I Wish I Could Acknowledge Every Child That Lost Their Battle, Suffers With and Survived From Pediatric Brain Cancer But It Would Be Impossible. The Facts Are Real and The Funds Are Still Desperately Needed To Help Support and Find A Cure For This Life Threatening Disease 🎗

We Started The BRET LACZYNSKI BRAIN CANCER RESEARCH FUND In Honor Of My Son and Will Continue To Raise Funds and Awareness So No Child Will Ever Have To Suffer The Way He Did Ever Again! It Is What He Would Have Wanted Us To Do. ❤️

We “Love You More” Bret and We’ll Continue Your Fight 💛🎗💛🎗

www.thebretlaczynskibcrf.com

05/30/2024

DAY 30 OF BRAIN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH 💛🎗️

I Couldn’t Think Of A Better Way To End The Month Of May Than This!

What A Great Pleasure it Was To Be Able To Present Lurie Children’s Hospital With A Check For $12,000 From The Sales of The Love Your Melon Special Edition “Bret” Beanies and Other Donations!
What Made it Even More Special, Bret’s Brothers Bailey, Cody and My Soon To Be DIL Kayla, Were All Able To Be There as Well. ❤️ We Also Were Joined By Two Of Bret’s Favorite Nurses, Wendy Stellpflug an Megan Urban. Thank You So Much For Being a Part Of This Special Day, We Love You Both Dearly. 🩷

And To Everyone That Supported and Continue To Support Bret’s Foundation, We Thank You From The Bottom Of Our Hearts. We Couldn’t Have Done it Without You! 💛

05/29/2024

DAY 29 OF BRAIN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH 😇💛🎗️

12 Years Ago Today, at Bret’s Funeral, The Most Beautiful Rainbow I Will Ever See 🌈❤️

The Infamous Rainbow, You Can Ask Anyone That Was There That Day To Share Their Experience. It Was Quite The Miracle! Bret’s Way Of Letting Us Know He Was Safe In God’s Arms. 🥰 I Couldn’t Have Asked For A More Comforting and Loving Gift From My Boy.❤️

Love You More Bret 💛🎗💛🎗

05/28/2024

DAY 28 OF BRAIN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH 💛🎗️

This Photo Was Taken On Mother’s Day, It’s One Of My Absolute Favorites 🥰 We Were At Redamaks in New Buffalo, Bret Just Wanted Milk 🥛 (Radiation & Chemo Destroyed All Of His Ability To Enjoy Food Ever Again) It’s All He Ever Asked For When We Went Out To Restaurant’s And He Would Only Drink A Few Sips, Then Tell You, “Done.”

I Remember Literally Everything About What This Boy Went Through For Almost 10 Years, (More Than Half His Life) And He Did It All With This Priceless Smile On His Face 😊☺️💙

I Can’t Help But Look At Him, Let Alone Any Child That Had To Endure What He Did And Not Want To Do Something To Help Them Live A Healthier Life. My Heart Won’t Allow Me To Ever Give Up ♥️💛🎗️

05/27/2024

Another Strong Brain Tumor Fighter 💪🏻 Congratulations Peyton! 🎓🎉 💛🎗️

Learn all about Peyton's courageous cancer journey. With the support of a dedicated medical team at Lurie Children's, Peyton emerges victorious, graduating with honors and securing a job while advocating for pediatric cancer patients.

05/27/2024

😢💛🎗️

05/26/2024

DAY 26 OF BRAIN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH 💛🎗️

This Is Bret Giving Me His Signature “Thumbs Up.” It Was His Way Of Letting Us All Know That He Was “OK”, Even When He Really Wasn’t. He Never Once Complained Throughout His Entire Illness, Only Smiles, Hugs & Kisses And An “I Love You More” Just So We Wouldn’t Feel Sad. If It Wasn’t For His Radiant Attitude, I Don’t Think We Would Have Dealt With It Well At All.

We Spent A Lot Of Time On The Oncology/Hematology Floor At Children’s And Every Child We Met Greeted You With the Same Smiling Faces 😊 Those Faces Changed My Life Forever. ❤️💛🎗️

05/25/2024

DAY 25 OF BRAIN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH 💛🎗️

12 Years Ago Today, I Gave You To God, To Take Care Of You Until We Meet Again In Heaven For Eternity 😇

I Will Always Love You More My Sweet Boy 💙💛🎗️

My Post 5/25/12

Today Heaven welcomed the most Beautiful Sweetest Angel in the world. My son Bret passed away so very peacefully just after 1:00 a.m. this morning. No more pain and suffering, he looked like a little angel sleeping and cuddling his Cubbie Bear. My Heart is breaking and the tears keep falling, but I know my boy is so much happier and in a better place than us.

He fought so hard for so long and I know he did it for us. He is the strongest and bravest boy I will ever know. I Love him more than words can express and he will always be my #1 hero from now until forever. Bret has touched so many lives with his over-abundance of Love and Kindness to everyone he met. I can see and live that everyday just by looking at my boys Bailey and Cody. They have learned these traits from their big brother. Please pray for them as they too are hurting so deeply. There arent enough words to express my love and gratitude that you have all shown us throughout this journey. I Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

God Blessed me with a Beautiful Boy and I know that he is embracing Bret with open arms.. We will be together everyday my Sweet Boy and someday we'll all be together again for eternity. I am SO PROUD to be your MOM...

I Love You So Very Much My Sweet Boy Bret...

05/24/2024

DAY 24 OF BRAIN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH 💛🎗️

Even When He Lost His Hair, Still A Smiling Handsome Boy 💙

This Photo Was Taken On 2/1/03, The Day I Married Bret’s Favorite Man For Me, Jeff Hood ♥️
Now Once Again, You’d Never Know Behind That Big Smile On His Face, That He Was Suffering…Nope, He Gave Me His “Thumbs Up” and Happily Was My Best-man and Bailey Was Jeff’s.

We Knew He Was Toughing It Out For Us So We Made It A Very Short Ceremony and Headed Home Only To Change Quickly and Head Right Up To Chicago’s Children’s Memorial Hospital (Now Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago).
Bret Was Diagnosed With A Portacath Line Infection, Which Required A Surgical Procedure To Remove The Infected Line, Be Hospitalized To Treat The Infection and Then Another Surgery To Implant Another Line For His Chemotherapy Treatments. All-in-All, He Was Inpatient For 4 Weeks. 😞

The Strength, Courage, Determination and Love Of This Boy Never Seized To Amaze Me ❤️ He Wasn’t Going To Let Anything Come In Between His Mom Marrying The Man He So Lovingly Nicknamed “Hoodsie” 🥰
We Know In Our Hearts That In Bret’s Short Life Here On Earth, He Was Set Out To Make Wonderful Things Happen For The People He Loved Most And Wanted To Make Certain Everyone, Especially Mom, Was Going To Be Loved And Taken Care Of When He Had To Leave Us. ❤️‍🩹💛🎗️

05/23/2024

Day 23 Of Brain Cancer Awareness Month.

It’s That Time Of Year When Everyone Is Sharing Their Graduating Senior’s Photos. Well Thanks To Our Dearest Friend Amy Wright, We Were Able To Get Some Great Photos Of This Handsome Guy.
It Was A Cold One That Day and As I Mentioned Before, Bret Absolutely Hated Being Cold. 🥶 I Believe He May Have Mentioned It Once Or A Thousand Times To Us, Especially To Mom. So To Get Him To Cooperate, Amy Took Him Alone And Managed To Get Some Memorable Photos Of Him For Us To Cherish Forever. ♥️

I Will Never Forget All The Wonderful Things Our Amazing Friends, Like Amy, Have Done For This Sweet Boy and Continue To Show Their Support To This Day. He Touched Their Hearts In So Many Ways And He Made Us All Realize What Love Is Really About.

Thank You All From The Bottom Of My Heart For Your Neverending Love For This Special Boy, We Will Never Forget It. ❤️💛🎗️

05/22/2024

DAY 22 OF BRAIN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH 💛🎗️

Look At That Face! For The First Few Years Into Bret’s Illness, He Was not Well Enough To Attend School. He Was In The Hospital More Than He Was Home and Eventually Started Home Schooling 2-3 Times A Week.
This Photo Was Taken On The Very First Day He Was Well Enough To Go Back To A Normal School Environment. Although He Couldn’t Go Back To Chesterton, Where All His Friends Were, He Started At The Special Education Learning Facility (SELF) in Valparaiso.

I Was Hesitant At First, Because His Immune System Was Extremely Compromised and The Slightest Germ Could Set Him Right Back Into The Hospital. But When He Walked Into That Classroom, He Greeted Every Child With A Smile and A “Hi, Me, Bret!” He Loved Every Minute Of It and The School Staff Instantly Fell in Love With Him!
He Never Let Anyone Know That He Was, In Actuality, Struggling More Than They Were, Instead, He Helped The Staff By Pushing Other Kids Around In Their Wheel Chairs. He Became The Most Loved And Well Known Boy In That School. ❤️

He Attended His Remainder Years There Until His Secondary Diagnosis Of Another Brain Tumor, So SELF School Gave Him A Personal Graduation Ceremony. It Made Channel 7 ABC News And We Were Forever Grateful That Our Boy Was Able To Receive His H.S. Diploma.

These Memories Will Be Everlasting For Us. He Was Such An Inspiration And Loved By Everyone That Had The Pleasure Of Knowing Him.❤️

05/21/2024

DAY 21 OF BRAIN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH 💛🎗️

In This Photo, You All See A Very Good Looking Young Boy Posing For His Soccer Photo. He Was The Goalie and Loved Playing. What You Don’t See Or Don’t Know is That This Young Boy Had Been Very Sick Leading Up To This Photo, Extremely Tired, Vomiting, Head Pain and Very Weak.
He Started Missing A lot Of School and Unfortunately Was Not Well Enough To Play The One Sport That He Loved Anymore, BUT, That Didn’t Stop Him From Making Us Take Him For His Team Photos. He Couldn’t Play That Day and We Went Back Home Only To See Him Deteriorate Further into an Illness That Doctors Still Couldn’t Determine What Was Going On With This Perfectly Healthy Young Boy.
This Was The Beginning Of An Almost 10 Year Battle With Pediatric Brain Cancer That Ultimately Took His Beautiful and Healthy Young Life 💔
💛🎗️💛🎗️💛🎗️

05/20/2024

DAY 20 OF BRAIN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH 💛🎗️

A Boy Sitting On A Famous Ballpark Field Of His Favorite Baseball Team. ⚾️💙❤️ It Was A Very Special Day For Him and Jeff, So Filled With Excitement To Go but Ignoring The Fact That He Was Not Feeling Well At All That Day.

He Didn’t Get To Meet The Whole Team, It Meant Having To Climb A Lot Of Stairs. He Still Made The Best Of It and Smiled For Every Picture Jeff Took. The Cubbies Organization Did Not Disappoint, They Set Up A Personal Meet and Greet For Bret at The Next Game We Attended and He Was Able To Meet The Entire Team Down On The Field, Take Photos With Them and Gave Him Signed Memorabilia As Well! He Was Beyond Ecstatic!!
Thank You Chicago Cubs For Always Supporting Bret’s Foundation! 💛🎗️💛

05/19/2024

DAY 19 OF BRAIN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH 💛🎗️

We Love This Photo!
Bret Got To Be A Part Of A Baseball Team for Special Needs Kids. We Thought He Would Love It Because He Just Wanted To Be Like Every Other Kid His Age, Until The Cold Air Hit Him. There Was No Telling Him Anything. A Few Games Into The Season, He Decided To Walk Off From The Outfield and Said “Done”!!
Everyone Thought He Was So Funny, And He Was! 😂 Needless To Say, We Did Not Finish The Season 😊

These Photos That Pop Up, The Memories We Made With Him, It’s All We Have. We Can’t Make New Ones, We Can Only Cherish The Old Ones. 💛🎗️💛🎗️💛🎗️

05/18/2024

DAY 18 OF BRAIN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH 💛🎗️

Emotions Like Anxiety, Guilt, Anger and Distress Are Felt By All Family Members, More Often By Mothers, When Living With Pediatric Cancer. The Emotional Burden They Deal With Is Enormous.
As A Mom Of 3, I Always Felt All Of These Emotions, Knowing All Of My Time Was Spent With My Sick Child. I Missed Out On So Much. 😢
Fortunately, My Two Younger Boys, Bailey Laczynski and Cody Hood, Never Once Complained, Understood Why Mom Needed To Be With Bret and Loved Helping Take Care Of Him Whenever We Were Home. ♥️
Today, They Have Grown Up To Be Fine Young Men With An Abundance Of Love and Compassion For Others With Special Needs As Well As Everyone They Know. 🎗️💙💛

05/17/2024

DAY 17 OF BRAIN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH 💛🎗️

05/16/2024

DAY 16 OF BRAIN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH 💛🎗️

I Can Honestly Say That I Never Knew Of Anyone That Had A Brain Tumor, Let Alone A Child, Before Bret Was Diagnosed. It Was Undoubtedly The Most Terrifying and Heartbreaking News I Ever Received.

But Now That I Know Just What A Brain Tumor Diagnosis Means, I Will Do Whatever I Can, To Let People Know What It Can Do To A Child As Well As Their Family.

💛🎗️💛🎗️💛🎗️💛🎗️

05/15/2024

DAY 15 OF BRAIN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH 😊🎗️

Address

Atlanta, GA

Website

http://www.thebretlaczynskibcrf.com/

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