After Cancer Took Their Son, the Burnetts Found Peace

When Darcee and Brent Burnett lost their son Keith to cancer, their compassion for others in the same situation helped them find healing. They channeled their grief into a sense of peace and purpose by hosting an annual “Hero-Up Half Marathon” to raise money for children’s cancer research. Learn more about how following Jesus Christ’s example can help you find peace in a time of grief: https://bit.ly/36W7XlY

The gospel of Jesus Christ gives us hope that death is not the end—we will see our loved ones again someday. Because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for us and His Resurrection, we can live with God and our families again after we die. Learn more about what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes about life after death by talking to missionaries: https://bit.ly/3ArMyvM

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TRANSCRIPT:

We are Darcy and Brent Burnett. We live in Portland, Oregon, and we created a race that we do every year in our community that raises money for children’s cancer research. The race is the Hero Up Half Marathon and 5k, and then we also do a kids race. I'm always the Hulk, always. It’s just allowed everyone to come together and have a really fun day on a day that for us normally would be really difficult, and that’s pretty special.

When our son Keith was three years old, he was diagnosed with a form of brain cancer. He fought for 19 months, and eventually he passed away. His treatment was miserable, and yet he was not a miserable kid. He would just always say, “I love you., I love you” over and over again.

When he passed, I couldn’t just sit still, because it just hurt. I needed to keep busy, I needed something to do. I was running one day, and I just thought, you know what? I think I can put together a run to raise the money and have it go specifically to children’s cancer research, and I started thinking about how we could make it unique, and Keith just really identified with superheroes. That’s kind of how it started.

Children’s cancer treatment is brutal. I just feel like we’ve got to come up with a better way to treat these kids. That’s my goal is to keep raising money to feel like it’s helping others, even if it helps in a small amount. It just helps me feel like I’m doing something worthwhile and something meaningful.

This specific piece of equipment here is one that the lab purchased with the funds that we donate from our children’s cancer race. We have people who show up from work and Church. I’ve never felt more peace, seen more compassion from people. The strangers that want to do something to contribute to this cause that is so personal to us, it’s just really inspiring every year. I think compassion is love, it’s empathy, and I think we’ve just learned to think more like the Savior, and when we’re hurting, it actually helps to reach out to other people and let them know that they’re not alone.

Christ taught us compassion is something that should be part of our lives, because we are all sons and daughters of Heavenly Father trying to show compassion to others like others did to us. That’s where I find peace; that is healing for me.