Family remembers ‘brave’ Brooks Blackmore

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Brooks Blackmore
Brooks Blackmore

Thousands of people in Carmel have been rooting for 6-year-old Brooks Blackmore as he fought brain cancer this past year. There are more than 8,000 people who liked the Be Brave Brooks page on Facebook, updating the community after he was diagnosed with an inoperable high grade pediatric midline astrocytoma grade 4.

On May 21, Brooks died surrounded by family and friends after he was brought home from the hospital during his last fight.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. on May 26 at Northview Church in Carmel, with Pastor Doug Kizer officiating. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. on May 25 at Randall & Roberts Funeral Center, 1685 Westfield Road, in Noblesville.

His mother, Tracey Blackmore, sent an e-mail statement to Current in Carmel on Monday.

“We are trying to make our way through this nightmare step by step, minute by minute,” she stated. “I thought he would beat this thing. We are devastated and trying to breathe the pain hurts so bad. It’s hard when we had so much hope. But Brooks was not able to do much for himself this past month and I know it was hard on him. He started to be in pain as well. Those things are hard to understand being that young and so hard to watch as a parent. I’m so mad this all happened in the first place, but I feel the slightest bit of peace knowing he is free from all of it. That’s a very selfless thing I’m trying to come to terms with. All I know is we loved this brave boy more than we could express. He made us parents and was the best big brother to his younger twin siblings. He has taught all of us how to be brave, live for the now, appreciate the little things in life, play more, laugh more, be silly, love deeply and to have faith over fear. Although I long to hold him and kiss him, to take care of him, to tease him, to tell him I love him…I know I will see him again and he is forever alive in our hearts.”

Brooks was born on Dec. 20, 2009, to Joshua Blackmore and Tracey McCarroll Blackmore in Carmel. He attended Northview Church in Carmel, where he graduated from preschool. He attended pre-K at Kindergarten Connection for a year, and was attending kindergarten at Cherry Tree Elementary School in Carmel. In addition to his parents, he is survived by his younger brother and sister, Ellery and Rory, who are twins.

Tracey said that Brooks was your average six-year-old boy who loved playing soccer, basketball and baseball and eating cheese pizza, salami, General Tso’s chicken and candy. He would play with his Legos and Hot Wheel toy cars and go on walks with his parents.

Tracey Blackmore and her sister Tammy Hartley often kept the public updated about Brooks’ battle with cancer on the Facebook page, Be Brave Brooks. Well wishes from friends — and even strangers — poured in as the public closely followed their story. Visitors would post photos of personalized drawings their children drew for Brooks and often say they prayed for the six-year-old.

Hundreds reacted to the post that announced that Brooks had passed away.

“It takes every last bit of courage I have left to let you all know that my Brave Boy, Brooks Lee Blackmore, is now free,” Tracey Blackmore wrote on Sunday. “Last night, May 21st at 7:47 p.m. he became an Angel Warrior. The pain in my heart is so raw and unbearable that I can hardly breathe at times. During this 9 day hospital stay the last and only words Brooks said were, ‘I want to go home.’ He hung on and fought so hard to allow us time to make that happen. He passed in our bed, his safe spot, surrounded by his family. True to the end, Brooks’s love radiated throughout the room. He hung on until he saw all his loved ones together. His younger brother Rory was the last to walk into the room. As soon as he heard the laughter fill the air…he passed knowing we were all there and happy. May God bless and take care of my boy, my everything.”

Tracey Blackmore said Brooks was happy to be home, which is why they decided to leave the hospital when the end came near.

“The only thing he said in the hospital was he wanted to be back home,” she wrote. “He has battled hard the last few days to make his goal, which is no surprise to us. His little body is wearing out. Please join us in prayer for our little man’s peace and comfort.”

Donations in Brooks’ honor may be made to prayersfrommaria.org, which is a foundation dedicated to finding a cure for high grade gliomas.


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