Reid was a sweet and loving little boy who enjoyed playing outside with his animals and older sister. He liked to play pretend with his sister and loved to swim. He enjoyed making people laugh and giving to others. Reid was always reserved when it came to strangers but would warm up to them once he knew you. After he was diagnosed with DIPG, an aggressive and fast-growing form of brain cancer, he became more reclusive and clingier, but he continued to make those around him laugh.

Reid had symptoms for a long time before his diagnosis but his family didn’t put two and two together until after he was diagnosed with DIPG. The symptoms that led them to seek out help from doctors months and weeks prior were hand tremors, lethargy, and occasional vomiting. Reid and his parents had been to the pediatrician four times and an occupational therapist to get to the root of the problem but it was not until June 9, 2018, when Reid began watching TV with one eye closed that his parents knew something was terribly wrong. His mom rushed him to the ER where doctors ran a CT scan and discovered that Reid had a tumor in his pons.

At first, Reid’s family was devastated and that soon turned into fear. Reid needed a shunt to save his life. He was scared but not once did he complain or cry. The day after his shunt was placed, he and his parents sat in his hospital room making balloon animals when Reid made a pretend phone call to his tumor. He called his tumor “butt cheeks” and told it goodbye, effectively making everyone in the room laugh.

Reid valiantly battled for 12 months before passing away on June 17, 2019 at the young age of 6. During his fight, he never lost his love of making others laugh. He was always so full of life and wanted nothing more than to make people happy.

More funding for pediatric brain cancer research is vital to finding a cure and ensuring that other families won’t be told to go home and make memories. 

Thank you for choosing to donate to The Cure Starts Now Foundation. 100% of this donation, after credit card processing fees, goes directly towards research to find the homerun cure for cancer starting with pediatric brain cancer research.

If you would like to make a donation by mail please send a check to:  The Cure Starts Now Foundation; 10280 Chester Road; Cincinnati, OH 45215 and put the child's name in the memo.

The family receives notification of all donations made to this tribute fund automatically.