BOSQUEVILLE, Texas — “It’s been a emotional, physical roller coaster ride," said Jill Clements, Colter Clements' mother.
This has been a ride Jill Clements wishes she never had to take — two years ago, her youngest child Colter suffered a brain bleed which resulted in brain cancer.
“I think just from just him being a healthy 8-year-old going from playing, like doing sports and just living a normal life, you're just, it just comes to a screeching halt and your world's turned upside down," Jill said.
Research from the Texas Brain Injury Alliance states that every nine seconds, an infant, child, teenager, or adult sustains a traumatic brain injury — Jill still remembers the day their world changed.
“He just said his head hurt — came back up to the cabin we were staying in, and just kind of fell down," she said. "He had what we came to know was a hemorrhagic stroke or a brain bleed."
Jennifer Marshall-Higgins is the Communications Director for Team Luke Hope of Minds.
“We don’t want families to face isolation — they need to meet and see other people who have experienced the same thing as their child," Marshall-Higgins said.
Team Luke Hope for Minds is one of the places where the Clements found comfort.
“Team Luke came to our rescue — literally came to our bedside and rescued our family," Jill said.
The organization financially supports families. They are raising $50,000 to continue helping families like the Clements.
“If it's medical equipment, adaptive equipment that maybe is needed to the home, or to the car—that's not going to be covered by insurance. And, so if we could come in there and help fill that gap, we want to do that," Marshall-Higgins said.
"That's what Team Luke does," Jill said. "It connects families to those resources."
The Clements told me doctors check Colter's tumor every three months to make sure it hasn't grown. Their last visit was in February, and the size of the tumor hasn't grown.
