Brooke’s Journey
When Brooke was just three years old, what seemed like a small injury from jumping between beanbags quickly became something much more serious. Her leg pain wouldn’t go away. X-rays showed nothing. Casts didn’t help. Week after week, her family searched for answers.
Then Brooke’s grandmother noticed something alarming, she looked unusually pale. At her pediatrician’s insistence, bloodwork was done immediately. The results were critical. Brooke’s blood counts were dangerously low, and she was rushed to the children’s hospital. There, doctors diagnosed Brooke with B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).
Before treatment could even begin, Brooke needed blood transfusions. Then came nearly three years of chemotherapy, hospital stays, spinal taps with intrathecal chemo, steroids, procedures, and unimaginable challenges. At one point, Brooke stopped walking entirely and later had to relearn how after significant muscle loss.
Through every difficult moment, Brooke showed extraordinary strength. She remained brave, open-hearted, and resilient. Today, Brooke is in remission and remains cancer-free!
But Survival Didn’t Mean the End of Hardship
Shortly after Brooke entered remission, another devastating challenge hit the family. Ashley became critically ill with COVID, and during her hospitalization, doctors discovered she had Ebstein’s Anomaly, a congenital heart defect, along with thickened heart muscle and leaking valves. She underwent open-heart surgery and faced life-threatening complications, including a prolonged ICU stay, time in a coma, and ongoing cognitive challenges affecting her memory.
Yet somehow, through it all, this family emerged stronger, closer, and deeply grateful for remission, resilience, and the simple joy of being together at home.
A Much-Deserved Family Night Out Thanks to Gas South
Brooke’s resilience deeply touched Carley Stephens and the team at Gas South. As a proud Fuel For Good partner, they are committed to supporting the incredible kids and families in our community who inspire us every day.
Wanting to create a night filled with pure joy, Gas South surprised Brooke and her family with tickets to see Bruno Mars on his Romantic Tour on April 26th.
And they didn’t just send them to the concert… They gave them FRONT ROW seats at Bobby Dodd Stadium. That’s right! Row 1 for an unforgettable night of music and dancing!
But the VIP treatment didn’t stop there. Our friends at The Fur Bus provided private transportation for the evening, chauffeuring the family to and from the concert in one of Atlanta’s most fun party buses.
To make the night even sweeter, the family also received $500 for souvenirs and snacks so they could fully enjoy every magical moment together.
Thank you to Gas South for giving Brooke and her family such a joyful, carefree evening, and thank you to The Fur Bus for helping make the night unforgettable from beginning to end.
