An Indiana mother is remembering her son, who died of cancer, by hiding goody bags around town for strangers to find.
"It's easy to sit around and be sad all the time, but the way I feel Brooks the most is through being happy and ... helping others. I feel him close to me," Tracey Blackmore told WTTV.
Brooks Blackmore, 6, was diagnosed with two astrocytomas in June 2015. The tumors were cancerous and inoperable. Despite radiation treatments, doctors discovered in March that another tumor had developed.
He died in May.
"He has younger siblings," Blackmore told ABC News. "They are now 3 years old. They're boy-girl twins, and I miss the love that he would share with them."
Brooks would have celebrated his seventh birthday on Dec. 20. To honor him and to cope with her grief and remember Brooks in a happy way, Blackmore created goody bags labeled "Finders Keepers #BeBrooksBrave." She hid 200 #BeBrooksStrong bags.
Inside each bag is a Hot Wheel car, statistics about childhood cancer, a copy of a painting by Brooks and a link to the St. Baldrick Foundation's fundraising page. The Hot Wheels cars were donated by toy manufacturer Mattel.
"We have a very emotional month here, so I wanted to bring it joy and happiness instead of sadness," Blackmore said.
In addition to the gift bags, the Brooks family has raised more than $20,000 for childhood cancer research, according to ABC News.
About the Author
