In July 2022, our son Calvin — just 23 — was diagnosed with a grade 3 astrocytoma after a sudden seizure turned our world upside down. He endured an awake craniotomy, radiation, and chemotherapy with a courage that left everyone around him in awe. Then, in April of 2023, during a routine MRI, Calvin’s heart suddenly stopped. He was revived quickly, and months later received a defibrillator to protect his heart going forward.
Through every setback, Calvin has met life with grace, optimism, and a quiet, steady hope. He never asks “why me?” Instead, he quietly shows his gratitude — in how he treats his medical team, his family, his friends, and everyone who has walked this road with him. He lives independently and works as a software developer for Michigan Medicine, refusing to let cancer define or diminish him.
As his mother, my pride is beyond words. Calvin has taught all of us what faith looks like — not the absence of fear, but the choice to keep loving, working and living.