Brett was the funniest, smartest kid I knew. He enjoyed cracking jokes and playing video games. He was about to start his freshman year of high school when he had a seizure one day. Our mom heard it and ran upstairs to find him in the bathroom semi conscious. She called 911 and that day became day 1 of a seemingly infinite number of days battling a brain cancer diagnosis. Brett was 14 at the time. 

Prior to his initial craniotomy, I ask him if he was scared. To which he replied, “of what?” And I said, “I don’t know. Dying…” He responded with, “What do you do when you’re old anyway?”

Brett battled his Anaplastic Astrocytoma for over 5 years, but ultimately passed away at Children’s National on January 9, 2014— just 3 weeks shy of his 20th birthday. He donated his brain to Children’s National upon his death. He knew he could potentially help other people with more research. Little did he know that the family he would be helping first was going to be our own…

Brett was not only my little brother, but my best friend. I am honored to represent and remember him through this year's Moab 240 race.