By Rubin E. Grant
If ever a kid could have been called a chip off the block, it was Braxton Weidman.
At least that’s the impression Chris Weidman gives when he describes his late son.
Braxton was the middle child of Chris and Brandie Weidman. He had an older brother, Cason, called Case, and a younger sister, Lyla.
“He was more like me with his personality,” Chris Weidman said. “He looked more like me and my family. The other two look more like their mother and their mother’s family.
“We had a bond. We liked cars and we liked baseball. He was the most talented athlete of our children. I spent lots of time with him.”
That bond was short-lived. Nine-year-old Braxton died Feb. 1, 2022, following a 17-month battle with a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer called gliomatosis cerebri.
The closeness of the father and son was displayed throughout Braxton’s battle.
“Even during his entire therapy we worked on a CJ5 Jeep ‘cause he wanted to ride in a Jeep to radiation, so we made it happen,” Weidman said. “I never left his side, but I wish I had held him more.”
Pediatric Cancer Advocate
Since Braxton’s death, Weidman has become a pediatric brain cancer consultant and philanthropist, traveling around the country to raise awareness about glioblastoma and money for pediatric brain cancer research. As part of his campaign, he has been featured on ESPN’s College GameDay.
Weidman, a senior oncology sales director for siParadigm Diagnostic Informatics, will be the honoree, along with his family, for the annual Tee It Up Fore Life American Cancer Society Golf Tournament on June 17 from noon to 6 p.m. at Old Overton Club. A portion of the proceeds will go to pediatric cancer research. The goal for the tournament this year is to raise $200,000 for cancer research. The tournament has raised more than $1.6 million since it began in 2009. Past honorees include Pat Sullivan, Bruce Pearl and Nate Oats.
“My family is honored immensely to be recognized for something that is the life mission we put ourselves on since our son got sick and eventually died,” Weidman said. “Raising awareness about financing and treatment options is something we have poured our hearts and minds into. I am thankful for the American Cancer Society for giving us a platform to continue to do that.”
Weidman has been working with four pediatric-centric foundations or charities, expanding resources and awareness for childhood cancers, specifically pediatric brain cancers. His philanthropic work includes consulting with newly diagnosed families whose children have brain tumors, helping them navigate their diagnosis and therapies as well as providing financial and clinical trial guidance.
“So far to date we have raised over one-half million dollars for PBC research and helped navigate multiple families through the complex and multifaceted world of treating a child with a brain tumor,” Weidman said.
Weidman has called for the federal government to increase its funding.
“The federal government allocates around four percent of its annual cancer research budget to childhood cancer, which is less than $3 per child,” he said. “According to PNOC (Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium), pediatric brain cancer only receives around one percent of that four percent of federal research funding.”
In a recent LinkedIn post, Weidman shared some statistical information about pediatric cancer. His sources indicate that every day in America a child under 19 years old is diagnosed with a life-altering brain cancer or tumor that will have a 95% chance of killing them. In total, it’s estimated there will be 5,700 new pediatric brain cancer diagnosis in America in 2024, according to his research.
He said brain tumors are the largest cause of cancer-related deaths in children 0-14 years of age. Gliomas, which is the kind of tumor Braxton had, account for 30.6% of all brain tumors among adolescents, and the high-grade gliomas such as Braxton’s cause the greatest proportion of death, at 44.2%.
According to the Mayo Clinic, glioblastoma is a type of cancer that starts as a growth of cells in the brain or spinal cord. It grows quickly and can invade and destroy healthy tissue. There’s no cure for glioblastoma.
“It is a death sentence,” Weidman said. “It cannot be argued.”
Life-Changing Diagnosis
When Braxton was diagnosed, Weidman and his wife, a nurse practitioner, knew immediately what it meant.
“My wife and I have worked in medicine and science for years,” Weidman said. “As soon as we saw the scan, the imaging, we knew what the scenario was and that our lives would not be the same, and that the journey we were going to be on was unique from other parents.”
Throughout Braxton’s cancer treatments and since his death, the Weidmans, who live in Greystone Farms, have received an outpouring of support.
“The entire Over the Mountain community has supported us,” Weidman said. “They know our family since I grew up in Hoover.”
Braxton died a month-and-a half before his 10th birthday. For both parents, it was heartbreaking.
“It was more like disbelief for me cause Braxton was my buddy,” Weidman said.
Weidman takes comfort in seeing Case and Lyla grow up. He speaks proudly about them.
“Case is a sophomore at Spain Park,” he said. “He’s an accomplished baseball player. He and his brother were very competitive. Case is a pitcher and second baseman, the same positions Braxton played. Case has a girlfriend on the volleyball team. He’s a solid, good-looking kid.
“Lyla plays travel soccer. She’s all over the Southeast, playing soccer. She’s got quite the personality, with blond hair and blue eyes. She’s going into the fifth grade at Greystone Elementary.”
Father’s Day is the day before the Tee It Up Fore Life golf tournament, and this will be the third Father’s Day since Braxton’s death. But Weidman is not marking the occasion in any special way.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t even remember my first Father’s Day without him,” Weidman said. “I’m not much of a birthday or holiday guy, except for the birth of my children, the birth of the nation and Christmas.
“I don’t recall how I felt that day. I’m sure I was melancholy, but every day I can have a moment where I miss Braxton.
“I don’t think there’s even such a thing as closure. My wife experiences some anger. She’s still sad. It’s different for her as a momma ‘cause she carried him. I don’t think a father cares any less. It’s just different.”
