To Brody Schumacher’s family, Dance Marathon is an opportunity for remembrance and to raise awareness about pediatric cancer.
By Charles Peckman
At the age of 2 1/2, Brody Schumacher was diagnosed with liver cancer. The date was Dec. 2, 2009, and he sadly passed away just five weeks later.
Shelby Schumacher, Brody’s mother, shed some light on Brody’s story and what the Dance Marathon program means to her and her family.
“Brody was a child who loved to smile and spend time with family,” Schumacher said. “He loved being at home, but he spent a lot of time at the hospital.”
Schumacher said Brody also enjoyed watching “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” and reading the story “I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More.”
Schumacher said that although his time in the hospital was extensive, he spent more time at home — something the Schumacher family chose to celebrate.
Brody’s battle with cancer was short.
“His diagnosis to end of life was five weeks,” Schumacher said. “Anytime as a parent, you want to trade places with your child. You physically want to be there, and you constantly feel conflicted between your healthy and sick child.”
Brody had a twin sister, Leah, who, Schumacher said, could “always make him laugh more than anyone could.”
Schumacher said she did not know anything specific about Dance Marathon until a social worker at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics told her about it.
Because Brody passed away, his family is considered a “dancing in our hearts” family. Schumacher said this helps her feel more a part of the Dance Marathon community.
“To me, the [dancing in our hearts] program helps raise awareness that cancer is still one of the leading causes of death in children,” Schumacher said.
Although Dance Marathon helps remember the lost children, she said,it turns those lost into a force of positive. A time, that she said, is “about him and his fight, even as short as it was.”
“Dance Marathon is for all of the children; those that have survived as well as those who have lost their battle. All we can do is keep raising funds and keep fighting,” Schumacher said.
Leah said she looks forward to the events at this year’s Dance Marathon event.
“I get to go into the ‘family room’ and do these fun things – dress up in costumes, go in bounce houses, and they even have cotton candy,” she said.
Brody’s father, Joseph, said Dance Marathon is “one of the best things out there.”
“It’s a great program, and it’s really brought us closer to the hospital – we’re still close with the doctors and hospital staff,” he said.
He said that when he received phone calls in the past, he would not think twice about ignoring them. “Now, we do the maximum amount we can,” he said.
