Brady was a constant source of light and warmth in our lives, a force of nature whose energy and spirit were as boundless as his capacity to love.
Brady had a personality so bright even on the darkest of days. Brightening every room he walked into. Inspiring others to always be true to themselves and who they are. His presence was unmatched, leaving marks on all our hearts.
Brady embodied strength and bravery, never willing to back down, for he had so many reasons to fight. He had a love and passion for life and that love and passion gave him the strength he needed to keep fighting for as long as he did.
Despite the exhaustion that was weighing heavy on his shoulders and the relentless treatments, Brady remained adamant in his determination to overcome cancer. Each day brought new challenges, but he faced them head-on with unwavering courage and a fierce determination radiating through him.
No matter what obstacle was put before him, he held onto a single, firm belief: He would beat cancer and take back his life.
With each treatment session endured and each setback faced, Brady's purpose only strengthened, fuelling his determination to defy the odds and emerge undefeated against the horrible disease threatening to consume him.
Here is Brady’s story.
On June 21, 2021, Brady woke up and was having a hard time breathing, which led us to taking him to see the doctor, who initially didn’t think it was anything serious, but nonetheless sent him for x-rays to make sure. About a half hour, later we received a call that Brady was to go directly
to the Emergency Room and that a team would be waiting there for him. We had no idea what was going on, what this team was for, but we knew it had to be serious, so we took him right away to the ER.
Once we were at the ER, they ran a number of tests and blood work, but nobody was saying anything to us. I had no idea what was happening, which just made me even more worried. After several hours of tests and waiting for results, the doctor came into the room and gave us Brady’s results: He had cancer. We were in absolute disbelief. How is this happening? Why us? Why him? Questions we still ask ourselves today.
After meeting with his oncologist, Dr. Lacey Pitre, we were told that Brady had a rare form of germ cell tumour that had grown in his chest and that he would need chemotherapy. Brady prepared himself for 14 weeks of chemotherapy to assist in shrinking his tumour, followed by a surgery to have the remainder of the tumour removed.
As expected, he was sick throughout his chemo treatments, but he pushed through like the champ he was. On Oct. 22, 2021, Brady was admitted to Toronto General Hospital for surgery, where they removed a five-pound tumour from his chest.
Due to the location of the tumour, the surgeon had to make a “clamshell”' incision across his chest, which required 80 staples to close. Brady never complained once, he just wanted to heal as quickly as possible and to leave this chapter of his life behind.
On April 12, 2022, Brady was out with friends, when all of the sudden something wasn’t right. He was slurring his words and didn’t recognize friends and family. We took him to the ER, where they ran tests to see what was happening.
While we were waiting for results, he had a seizure that led the medical team to have a CT scan done. Within a few hours, we were told Brady’s cancer was back and that this time it was in his brain.
Brady was admitted to hospital and was in surgery three days later, on April 15, 2022. We were so scared, there were so many risks, and the unknown was the scariest thing of all.
Thankfully, the surgery went well due to Brady’s amazing surgeon Dr. Stefano Priola at HSN. Once he healed, he had to have five rounds of spot radiation to his brain. Brady did well throughout his radiation treatments, all while continuing to live his life as normally as possible.
We had lots of follow up appointments with several doctors, who were all keeping a close eye on Brady. After many discussions, Brady’s team of doctors made the decision to proceed with two stem cell transplants to make sure all the cancer cells were gone. Once this course of action had been decided, we packed up and moved to Ottawa where we stayed for six months for the stem cell transplant at the Ottawa General Hospital.
On June 24, 2022, Brady began his first round of four chemotherapy treatments. He did very well, as he knew what to expect this time around. On July 5, 2022, the stem cell removal took place, which was so interesting to see. It’s amazing how medicine works.
On July 9, 2022, chemotherapy started again. Things went smoothly for the first stem cell transplant; he was in good spirits, feeling good and made friends with all the incredible staff at Ottawa General Hospital. They loved him.
Then on Aug. 2, 2022, things started to change. Brady wasn’t feeling well and got really sick since his immune system was so weak. He was in excruciating pain and after some tests he was diagnosed with shingles in his mouth, throat and into his stomach. Since this rendered him unable to eat or drink, a feeding tube had to be installed. This also delayed his treatment cycles. Brady was sick the entire month of August, sleeping pretty much all day, each day. His illness was already so hard and these setbacks made it even harder. Most people get to enjoy their summers embracing the sun and having fun, but for Brady he was in a hospital bed fighting for his life.
However, we were blessed with an amazing team at the Ottawa General Hospital who did everything they could to help Brady, especially as he remained an inpatient for the entire month of August.
Once Brady started to feel better, he was given a week off to regain some strength prior to continuing into the next treatment cycle. Brady felt great considering all that he had just gone hrough.
After a week off, we headed back to the hospital to continue his treatment. Before starting this new cycle, the hospital ran all their routine tests and that is when we learnt Brady had contracted COVID-19. With this diagnosis, he was unable to continue with treatment. He was prescribed medication and quarantined for two weeks.
After lots of rest, we headed back to the hospital and on Oct. 16, 2022, he started one of three chemotherapy treatments, 24 days later than initially planned. Things went smoothly and on Oct. 19, 2022, Brady had his last chemo treatment. Two days later, he had his final stem cell transplant.
We were ready to put this all behind us and move forward. Brady was discharged and we headed back home to Sudbury on Dec. 2, 2022.
Considering all he had gone through, Brady continued to live his life while being monitored with monthly blood tests.
While Brady was being monitored, his Alpha Fetoprotein levels (AFP Tumor Marker Test) were going up and down, which was worrisome. He was sent for an MRI and we waited for results.
After meeting with his oncologist on Feb. 2, 2023, Brady was diagnosed with two new brain tumours.
As things generally moved quickly, Brady was scheduled for surgery on Feb. 10, 2023, at Toronto Western Hospital. We met with Dr. Aristotelis Kalyvas and his medical team, and we were told Brady was going to undergo an awake craniotomy, a procedure where the patient remains conscious while the surgeon works in order to monitor brain function and map out critical areas of the brain to avoid damage.
As usual, Brady did amazing, and we are forever grateful for the amazing Dr. Kalyvas. The medical team couldn’t believe how well Brady healed and we were headed back to Sudbury on Feb. 13, 2023.
On March 14, 2023, Brady started his first of five rounds of full brain radiation at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. Brady handled radiation well and continued to live his life as normally as possible.
On May 12, 2023, Brady wasn’t feeling well. He was disoriented and confused, so we took him to the ER. Once at the ER, they sent him for a CT scan, where they noticed fluid and swelling in his brain. They admitted him while they treated him with steroids. He was then discharged on May 16, 2023.
On June 9, 2023, he started having the same symptoms again, so back to the ER we went. Our local hospital discharged him, and we were sent back to Princess Margaret Hospital for an MRI three days later.
After the MRI, we were immediately sent to Toronto Western Hospital. Brady was admitted on June 13, 2023, as the MRI showed two new lesions in his brain. He couldn’t catch a break, but he never gave up. He even went as far as saying, “let’s just get it done.”
On June 19, 2023, Brady was back in surgery. He wasn’t afraid, he just wanted to get it over with and go back to normal life. His sister’s graduation was on June 22. His father and I made the decision that I would attend her graduation and that he would stay with Brady and attend via FaceTime. Well as the rockstar Brady was, he was discharged on June 21, 2023, and headed home to Sudbury the day before his sister's high school graduation.
There was no way he was going to miss it! No matter the obstacles put before him, he never let it bring his spirits down or interfere with his life. He just wanted to live his normal life to the fullest with an open mind and heart.
On July 10, 2023, Brady started round one of 10 targeted radiation treatments at Princess Margaret Hospital. He did all his treatments like a champ and carried on with his life.
On Aug. 5, 2023, Brady started having headaches that needed to be controlled with high amounts of steroids, and was sent for an MRI. Even with these painful headaches, he refused to let his illness control his life. The headaches went on for several weeks until the pain got so bad he couldn’t take it anymore.
On Sept. 20, 2023, the pain became so uncontrollable that we ended up taking him to the ER. This was the day we found out the results of Brady’s MRI, that the brain tumours had returned. There were multiple tumours.
There was nothing left that could be done to save him. We were all broken.
On the evening of Sept. 20, 2023, Brady was admitted to the Maison McCulloch Hospice, where he spent his last 39 days. We were all heartbroken. We couldn’t believe that after all he had been through, all he had overcome, that we would end up here. Brady fought so hard for so long and he never gave up. He had a love and a passion for life.
Maison McCulloch Hospice, thank you. Thank you for the care you gave my family and most importantly the care and love you gave to my son.
Hospice care often suffers from misunderstanding and fear of discussing end-of-life matters. However, it is important to remember and recognize the incomparable support palliative care provides to patients and their families during the most challenging of times.
Education efforts discussing what hospice care is can help. I was one of those people who didn’t understand, and I was so mad that Brady was going there. Until we were there. Considering the situation we were in, Maison McCulloch Hospice was the best place for Brady and our family to be.
They made those final days mean so much more, and for that we are forever grateful.
For those who don’t know, hospice is a specialized type of care providing support and comfort to patients and their loved ones at the end of their journey on earth, allowing people to go with dignity.
It aims to improve quality of life by addressing physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Hospice teams are composed of health-care professionals such as doctors, nurses, social workers, PSW’s and volunteers — a team of angels on earth. The focus is on managing pain and symptoms, offering emotional and spiritual support, and helping patients and their families navigate end-of-life decisions.
Support your local hospice, because you never know when you or someone you love will need it. Maison McCulloch Hospice is a non-profit organization and it costs approximately $1.4 million to run each year.
In honour of Brady or one of your own loved ones, we encourage you to donate to Maison McCulloch Hospice so that it can continue to provide unmatched care.
To donate to the hospice, visit HospiceHug5050.ca.
Losing a child, a beautiful soul is undeniably painful. Their absence leaves a void that cannot be filled. It leaves you breathless when you think it has actually happened. We try remembering and cherishing the beauty he brought into our lives, which at times is a source of comfort during our grief. We are thankful to be surrounded by supportive loved ones and sharing memories of the beautiful soul we've lost.
In honour of Brady and in celebration of what would’ve been his 23rd birthday, we have organized a fundraiser for Maison McCulloch Hospice on April 6 at Zigs Bar. We’re calling it the “Cheers to 23 Years Event."
We hope you can join us in celebrating an amazing person for an amazing cause.
Brady Levola
April 6, 2001 – October 28, 2023
Anita Levola lives in Greater Sudbury.
