Keagan Provost

Keagan’s proudest accomplishment was being a real life superhero and big brother. My favorite memory of Keagan was when he and I were live on state wide news station talking about a pediatric cancer fundraiser being held for the hospital we basically lived in.  Out of NO WHERE, he decided to tell the host that “one time before surgery mom let me shave her legs at the hospital”. No explanation, no warning, no nothing, he just said it out loud and then moved right along. What wasn’t said was months ago, he was having another brain tumor resection (the 2nd one during that long hospital stay) and his neurosurgeon always liked his head shaved before hand. Keagan didn’t want to shave it but wanted to shave my legs. So we compromised and sat in the hospital room floor on his cancer uni,t and he shaved my legs while I shaved his head. For some reason, he felt the need to inform the entire state of Arkansas that fun fact on live tv one morning almost a year after it had happened. Keagan loved to watch his iPad and sit outside on the deck watching the animals. Throughout Keagan’s almost 8 year battle with grade 3 anaplastic ependymoma and almost 9 year life, he never once complained. He had 86 surgeries, hundreds of chemo and radiation therapy treatments and never once complained. So many people have told me, and I agree 100000%, that they wanted to be as strong as that precious 8 year old boy when they grew up. I feel like I’m extremely biased because he is my baby boy and always will be, but he is hands down the strongest and most amazing person I ever met. I was so lucky to have been able to spend so much time with someone who could change your life without actually knowing you. His smile could light up a room, and I honestly feel like the world was a better place with him in it.