As a seven-year-old first grader, I was active, fun-loving and a bit mischievous. When I began complaining of periodic headaches in the spring of 1996, my parents and physicians attributed them and the nausea accompanying them to an eye disorder which was easily corrected. However, when the headaches returned after the eye surgery, I was sent to a neurologist. In just a few short days my parents received the startling news – the tests showed what the doctors were sure was a malignant brain tumor. Actually the morning the doctors called to relay their findings to my mom, I was playing a soccer game – I had no other symptoms to speak of!

I was admitted to Texas Children’s Cancer Center and underwent a five-hour surgery on April 2, 1996… my younger brother’s fifth birthday. My diagnosis and treatment were especially difficult for my family, particularly my mom and grandmother, because my grandfather had just died that same year from Glioblastoma, another type of malignant brain tumor. However the doctors assured my family that this was nothing more than a tragic coincidence and that I had an 85% to 90% chance of a full recovery.

I started chemotherapy within a few weeks of my surgery, followed by seven weeks of daily radiation therapy, then an additional eight rounds of chemo. One of my biggest initial setbacks was suffering a seizure while still in ICU just after my surgery. As a result, I lost all the strength in the left side of my body and had to undergo quite a bit of physical therapy, re-teaching myself how to walk. It was quite a shocker for me to walk and run one day and have that taken away from me the next. As a seven-year-old, that was pretty frustrating.

After those initial whirlwind days and weeks, everything progressed quickly and my family had to put a few things on hold to make my cancer and health a focus. At the time of my diagnosis, my older brother was age nine, my younger brother was age five and my sister was just two years old. Without any hesitation, my family backed me up and gave me tremendous support. We knew that this was a situation out of our control and we had to look to God for our strength and trust His plan for everything that was going on. However, my parents determined early on that this detour in our family would be our “new normal” and that they would do whatever was needed to disrupt the lives of my siblings as little as possible.

In all honesty, my parents and my faith in God were the two factors that brought me through my diagnosis. My mom became my best friend during those long days and weeks, and she and I are still very close to this day. She was the one who stayed right by my side through it all, thick and thin. Without any hesitation, she stayed with me day and night in the hospital, took me to all my appointments and check-ups, sat in the waiting rooms for countless hours with me, and gave me endless love and care.

During this time in my life, my family and I learned that we could not do it all on our own. We had to learn how to let other people into our lives to help us and be a part of my healing and recovery. Countless neighbors, church friends, and extended family stepped in to cook meals for us, sit with us in the hospital, take care of my siblings, and write so many kind notes of encouragement. My faith has grown so much from my cancer and continues to remind me of my dependence on the Lord and His perfect plan for my life each day.

Psalm 23:4 – “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are                            with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

The most profound lesson I learned from my cancer experience was that family comes first. They were there no matter what, coming alongside me as my strength and support. They were always there to offer encouragement and guidance when I felt like I had nothing left in me to fight against the cancer. In another difficult turn of events, my mom was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer in the fall of 2007, just after I went away to college. Knowing I would not be able to be there in person to share this time with her was especially hard on me since she had been such a great support for me during my months of treatment. However, I’m proud to say she was treated successfully and has fully regained her health.
My advice for fellow cancer survivors is based on a favorite passage from the Bible:

Proverbs 3:5 & 6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own                                        understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make                                        your paths straight.”

Know that you are strong and trust that God has a perfect plan in every part of your life. He will never give you more than you can handle and He is always with you; do not ever feel alone. Having graduated from Baylor University in May of 2011 with a degree in Recreation Ministry, I am currently employed as the Program Manager at Camp Aranzazu, a property on the South Texas coast for children and adults with special needs and chronic illnesses. This work is especially rewarding for me as I have the daily opportunity to interact with and encourage children of all ages who are dealing with various types of challenges and disabilities. I am blessed to be able to share my story with them, and hope I can be a source of inspiration to those with whom I come in contact.

My name is Brandal McCormack and I am a 15-year survivor of Medulloblastoma, a brain cancer.