Bruce died on Saturday, August 4th, precisely at his bedtime - 7 o’clock, in the arms of his mother and father. He went to rest peacefully and without discomfort. He was five years old. 

 

Not one of us can know what happens after death. This unknown in unsettling and scary - but it is. 

 

Perhaps a soul exists - some kind of energy, essence, or memory that represents Bruce now that his physical body has fallen. Will this energy drift peacefully to an afterlife, or reincarnate as a new form of life on this earth, or will it simply continue to thrive in the hearts of all of us who loved him, serving some unimaginable purpose?

 

Death could be nothingness. Bruce’s personhood was the result of millions upon millions of electrical brain synapses whose combination comprised a being who was so uniquely special. When the body dies, is everything take lnwith it leaving nothing to remain?

 

Perhaps Bruce’s death was part of a grand design for this earth devised by a powerful spiritual being which we will now begin to see unfolding. 

 

Perhaps Bruce’s illness was randomly senseless - and those around him must now resiliently cope with the tragedy of a life lost too soon as we attempt to find meaningful joy in what is left. 

 

It is excruciating not to know. It is comforting not to know. All things of the universe simply cannot be understood. 

 

Bruce’s brain and tumor tissue have been donated to the DIPG registry at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. It is our hope that information from Bruce’s rare tumor will help researchers improve the outcomes for children with DIPG in the future. Thank you to every person who has worked to find answers, treatments, and a cure for DIPG. Please never stop. We wish we could have donated his organs or tissues, but DIPG ruled him out as a viable donor. 

 

Bruce will be cremated. We will share information on memorial services as they are planned. 

 

We love our son so much. He is a light in this world, he is goodness, he is joy - and he has impacted our lives forever. I am so proud to have been his mother. 

 

Thank you for loving our Bruce.