Source: The Washington Post / Getty
Thursday, CNN correspondent Rene Marsh announced the passing of her 2-year-old son, Blake, following a battle with pediatric brain cancer. The revelation came in the form of an Instagram post addressed to Blake.
“In your 25 months on earth, you taught me how much strength I had stored up in reserve that I didn’t know I had,” Marsh wrote.”You taught me endurance. You taught me a depth of love I have never experienced. You inspired me to keep going when I wanted to give up. You helped me prioritize what is truly important in this life.”
She then went on to reflect on some of Blake’s favorite things, which included riding around his neighborhood in his electric car, dancing, and learning to snap his fingers.
“I didn’t just lose you Blakey, I lost all the dreams and hopes that a mom has for a son. I lost my motherhood and I’m mourning it all,” the letter continued. “I am dedicated to fighting pediatric cancer for the rest of my life. I will do it not just to spare other parents from this unbearable pain but I will do it to forever honor you, Blake. Your life was not in vain my sweet angel. Mommy loves you and I look forward to holding and kissing you when we meet again.”
According to CNN, Blake was diagnosed in 2019. He underwent two cycles of chemotherapy in the hospital that consisted of five chemotherapy drugs — one of which doctor’s suspect sent him into cardiac arrest. Blake somewhat recovered from the ordeal, which left him on life support for six days and even went into remission. Sadly, the cancer returned. In an opinion piece for CNN published last February, Marsh wrote that for six months, doctors assured her that Blake’s brain cancer was in remission, but she and her family were later “blindsided” by news of its return and spread the previous November.
“He even rang the bell symbolizing his last chemo treatment,” Marsh wrote. “But in November we were blindsided — the cancer was back, and it had spread.”
We can’t begin to imagine the unspeakable pain felt by Rene and her family. We send our prayers to them during this extremely difficult time.
