In Memory of Brooke Healey

The main worries of a five-year-old girl generally concern how to dress her Barbie doll, what Disney movie to watch, or what to wear for the day’s adventures. However one exceptional child, Brooke Healey, did all of that while battling a rare brain tumor called a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma. Tragically, on Monday, September 9th at 9:53 a.m. Brooke passed away.  Many people are grieving and struck with pain and heartbreak; however, the message Brooke left behind was positive, uplifting, and life-changing. Many people never had the honor of meeting Brooke, but through fundraisers, the Healey’s online journal (http://brookehealey.com/Journal.html), and even social media, people were able to see how amazing this girl truly was. “Dodger Compliments” wrote a beautiful entry that perfectly described who Brooke was, saying that she “made a stand without standing, [she] touched our hearts without even knowing who we were, and best of all, [she] remained this humble, innocent, cheerful figure that is our coach’s daughter.” Her selfless character was shown at just four years old when she made the independent decision to donate twelve inches of her hair for “Locks of Love”, a charity that makes wigs for people suffering from cancer in honor of her Godmother. Our community has never known a four  year old that was as noble and compassionate as Brooke.

An amazing aspect about Brooke was how she brought people together as a community. When Madison High School heard the news of Brooke’s illness, every person in the building sympathized with Brooke and her family’s struggle. When she came to the high school last year to visit for a day, students were thrilled to catch a glimpse of her or even say hello.  The bracelets that said “Faith, Hope, Love, Brooke” could be seen on nearly every administrator, student, and teacher in the building, followed by t-shirts in support of Brooke and brain cancer research. A few weeks later, “Support Brooke Healey” collections were in stores all over Madison. Nearby towns joined Madison and Brooke’s home town of New Providence in raising money and spreading awareness about Brooke and the horrendous disease she battled. One of the most exceptional parts of Brooke’s journey was that she and her family didn’t ask for pity. Seeing her face on a jar with a blurb about her story inspired people. They commended her bravery, her guts, and her humble way of bringing thousands of people together.

Her journal (written by her parents Steve and Stef) was read by thousands of people anxiously awaiting a change in fate, a miracle that said things were looking bright. Although a cure for DIPG, Brooke’s type of tumor, has never been found, she herself was a living miracle. The number of lives she changed, the number of smiles she brought to people’s faces, and the number of hearts she uplifted cannot be counted.

I never met Brooke Healey, and I would’ve done nearly anything to have a conversation with her. I’d tell her thank you.  Thank you, Brooke, for bringing this community together as one, for showing the world that age is merely a number and even a five year old can change the world. Thank you for showing me, along with thousands of others that “everything in this world is done by hope.” Stay golden in Heaven.