Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

FROM STAFF REPORTS / Editorial

Greystone Elementary student Braxton Weidman, 8, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in September shortly after the start of the 2020-2021 school year.

It was a moment that hit Weidman and his family hard. But it wasn’t a test the 8-year-old boy couldn’t handle.

Since the diagnosis, thoughts and prayers have been pouring in from people all across the world after an emotional College Gameday segment with Tom Rinaldi aired back in late October following his story and the thoughtfulness from Alabama running back and head coach Najee Harris and Nick Saban, who reached out to boost his confidence.

That’s been just part of an emotional and difficult journey since September, but it’s also been a three-month span of showing Weidman’s courage and heart.

Over the last month, Weidman has been going to radiation treatments every day to treat the tumor, and according to his dad Chris Weidman, Braxton never had one headache, didn’t have another seizure, never cried and he didn’t complain about getting up early to take care of something that might put most people in a difficult state of mind.

Then, on Dec. 1, Braxton, who had been through two surgeries and 30 days of radiation therapy, rang the bell at Children’s of Alabama’s Cancer Center to applause from the nurses before high fiving his dad to celebrate the milestone of completing the radiation treatment.

That night, he was invited to light the city of Hoover’s Christmas tree as an honorary guest in a special tree lighting ceremony.

It was almost a symbol of Braxton himself. With 62,000 lights illuminating across the tree when he plugged it in, Braxton was an additional light that will now be connected to the tree.

His courage and fight has been brighter than any light.

During the entire tree lighting ceremony, not once did Braxton not look thrilled. His smile was beaming then, and it has been beaming for much of his battle.

While most of us will tower over the 8-year old, each of us should look up to him as a shining example.

We all deal with a lot during the everyday stresses of life, but it doesn’t get much worse than a tumor on your brain, yet Braxton lives every day with a positive outlook and a smile on his face.

Let that light and spirit of Braxton shine brightly in you as well.