Members of the Cathedral Catholic High School dance, football and baseball teams have joined forces to establish a support network for CCHS sophomore Brycen Newman, who was diagnosed this past July with melidoblacoma, one of one hundred and thirty different strains of brain cancer.

According to Newman’s father, Rick Newman, cancer is the number one cause of death among children, meaning that Newman is not battling cancer alone.  Among his many supporters, the CCHS Dance Team sent personal notes to Newman last month, wishing him a quick recovery from his surgeries and high fevers. Sophomore dancer, Lily Zamadics, and her mother, Sally Zamadics, came up with the idea.

“My cousin had leukemia when she was 15,” Zamadics said. “Her family liked hearing positive things from other people to keep their minds off of it. So [my mom and I] thought it would be a good idea for the dance team to write a nice note to Brycen and share with him the same support my cousin [and her family] had.”

Because the notes were a success, the Dance Team proposed a school-wide effort to CCHS administration and obtained approval to leave an empty jar in the library for students to write Brycen notes, too.

Members of the CCHS football and baseball teams, both of which Newman plays for, have also shown him their support. Members of the football team have gone so far as to shave their heads for Newman, surprising him at the Homecoming game two weekends ago with their new look. Newman’s JV football teammate, sophomore Jake Goddard, came up with the idea.

“The football team saw my post on Facebook, and the next thing you know, I got a call from Jake Goddard,” Mr. Newman said. “And he said, ‘I want to ask a favor of you. Would it be alright if the football team shaves their heads for Brycen?'”

“I thought it would be a good idea to shave our heads because it would make Brycen feel more comfortable with himself and his new hair [after going through chemotherapy],” Goddard said. “But I also wanted to visually show him and his parents that he is not alone in this battle because we are a community, a team and a friend to Brycen. We will fight along his side until he is cured.”

Another one of Newman’s teammates on the football team, sophomore Hayden Center, said, “In this situation, it’s hard to feel like you’re not fighting this battle alone. I hope that shaving our heads and showing that we are truly supporting Brycen through his struggle can help him get through it.”

“After eighteen hours worth of brain surgery, your cognitive resources change dramatically,” Mr. Newman said. “And prior to that, it was a one word answer.  When Brycen saw what the football team did in support of him, he said ‘whoa’. It was really touching.”

A friend of Mr. Newman’s has also created a special Facebook page called “Battle for Brycen”, through which Newman has been receiving heart-warming support from family, friends and even people he does not know.

“Thirty percent of the comments are from people we don’t know,” Mr. Newman said. “Some people are sending things and others are giving recommendations. It’s incredible. Makes me the proudest of the page.”  

At the end of September, a “Batting for Brycen” fundraiser was hosted to support Brycen’s battle against cancer. At the event, Newman’s baseball coaches presented him with his framed jersey to commemorate him for scoring the final point for the CCHS freshman baseball team in the city championship game.  

“It was really special,” Mr. Newman said. “Coach Terzoli’s freshman baseball team has never won a freshman championship before, so Brycen’s hit won the game for them. The team signed the jersey and gave a team picture with it, too. The support from the Cathedral community brings you to tears. It’s just so sweet.”

The support from the CCHS family and beyond has been immensely helpful to the Newman family.

“Like any child,” Mr. Newman said, “Brycen is no different. He asks ‘why me?’. But he also says, ‘Whatever I need to do to beat this thing, let’s do it.'”

In addition to undergoing  chemotherapy and radiation, Brycen has had to remove sugar from his diet. Mr. Newman explained that sugar feeds cancer and that cutting it out of Newman’s diet is an important tool in halting the cancer’s spread.

“He likes to eat ice cream and cake and do things normal teenagers do, but he can’t do that anymore,” Mr. Newman said. “Glucose is the number one food source for cancer. Brycen needs to stay away from all sugar.”

Cancer is extremely tough on both patients and their families. It is especially hard for the parents of a cancer patient to see their young son or daughter have to struggle through the difficult treatments, so support from friends, loved ones and even strangers is important. But it is also a reminder of how precious life is.

“I’ve learned a lot,” Mr. Newman said, “You find out how absolutely loved your child is, and how humble you need to be. [Anyone] might hear this from every cancer family, but you can’t take life for granted. I tell him how much I love him every day, and I am grateful for the time we have with Brycen.”

And although Newman hates the hospital, he has an amazing support group inside the hospital itself. Brycen loves his neurosurgeon, Dr. Michael Leby, whose children attended CCHS.  According to Mr. Newman, Dr. Leby said, “I want to make sure to do this surgery right. I want to see Brycen back on the field.”

In addition to student support from school and the support that the Newman family receives online, a group of sophomore mothers came together to create “Team Brycen” t-shirts. The proceeds from the sale of the t-shirts go towards helping to pay for Newman’s medical bills.

The Newman family is incredibly grateful to have such a strong and active network rooting for Newman as he battles brain cancer.  The family would like to thank everyone who has supported Newman in any way. For updates on Newman, please visit the “Battle for Brycen” Facebook page.