He was an adventurous boy who rarely complained.
But when Brody Huber was 13, he began showing behavior that was unusual for him.
Soon after that, he was diagnosed with one of the most aggressive forms of cancer.
A typical growing teenager, right?
He was tired. He had a few headaches. It sounded like any other growing teenager. But something didn’t feel right.
Brody Huber, an adventurous and athletic 13-year-old, started showing unusual behavior in June 2020. His mother, Tina, noticed he wasn’t acting like himself.
“He was just this ball of health,” Tina told Daily Mail. “I just had this weird feeling.”
During a camping trip, Brody, who loved the outdoors, shocked his parents by cutting the adventure short due to a headache that wouldn’t go away.
For peace of mind, Tina and her husband Jeff scheduled an MRI on June 24th, 2020 — a scan that would change their lives forever.
Within two hours of the MRI, Brody was admitted to Children’s Hospital Colorado.
”This news was like an earthquake”
Doctors revealed he had “a pretty significant mass” on the right side of his brain.
“This news was like an earthquake that shook our family and friends near and far. It just didn’t make sense! Brody was athletic, adventurous and as healthy as can be. It was shocking!” Tina recalled.
Two days later, Brody underwent brain surgery for a biopsy and the placement of a VP shunt to relieve pressure caused by the tumor.
“The shunt was a tube, the size of a spaghetti noodle, that ran from the right thalamus down behind his right ear, over his collarbone, and into his stomach,” Tina explained.
Six days later, the family received the devastating diagnosis: Brody had a diffuse midline glioma H3K27M, an aggressive and inoperable brain tumor.
“It’s considered the worst of the worst,” Tina said.
“With treatments, he had 6-9 months to live. I asked what kind of treatments? This tumor doesn’t respond to chemotherapy, so 6.5 weeks of radiation was recommended. I asked about the side effects and they said, ‘headaches, nausea, and vomiting.’ I reminded them, ‘He just had brain surgery to alleviate those symptoms — now you’re going to induce them? No way!’”
The oncologist quietly replied,
“Without those treatments, your son will die in 3 months.”
Tried everything
Brody and his family tried everything. He underwent radiation, meditation, acupuncture, massage, Reiki, and even participated in a clinical trial at the Vitanza Lab at Seattle Children’s Hospital, which injected medications directly into the brain.
While the trial has doubled lifespans for some children with DMG, Brody’s cancer spread, and he passed away in March 2021 — just eight months after his diagnosis.
Even in the face of unimaginable pain, Brody faced his illness with courage.
“When he found out his cancer was spreading, he told me: ‘I really thought I had it, Mom,’” Tina said.
To honor Brody’s legacy, his family founded the Brody Huber Foundation to raise funds for the Vitanza Lab, helping other children access life-saving trials. So far, they’ve raised $85,000 and plan to send another $50,000 on what would have been Brody’s 19th birthday, November 21, 2025.
“We don’t want your family or anyone else to go through this,” Tina said. “Please help us find a cure.”
Brody’s story is a heartbreaking reminder of how fragile life can be, and how important it is to support research that gives hope to children battling the worst forms of cancer.
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