By Katelyn Petty
Hendrix Longfellow, the eight-year-old son of two Gulf Coast police officers, Amanda (Long Beach Police Department) and Justin Branning (Biloxi Police Department), has five siblings, all sisters. On August 11, 2022, his family’s life changed forever, when, at six years old, Longfellow was diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer.
A child facing a life-threatening medical condition is news no parent wants to hear, but it was and is the reality still today for Longfellow and his family.
“Tomorrow is never promised, unfortunately, especially since the tumor is still there,” said Amanda Branning.
On July 18, 2022, Longfellow started having symptoms - his eyes had distinct and constant nystagmus (involuntary, rapid and rhythmic eye movements), and he was having dizzy spells during which he was acting very lethargic and kept falling to the right. The symptoms required Longfellow to need assistance walking, as he was losing function in the right side of his body, especially in his right arm and right leg.
After extensive medical testing, less than a month later, he was diagnosed with a High-Grade Neuroepithelial ETMR Tumor of the CNS (pontine).
A treatment plan was immediately made for Longfellow: five months of chemotherapy, followed by one to three months of consolidation/randomized treatment, which would filter his stem cells back in after filtering them out during chemo. He would then end chemotherapy treatments and continue with six weeks of direct targeted proton radiation.
Longfellow has completed his treatments and radiation, but he will not be considered in remission until 2028. Until then, he will continue to have MRI testing every two to three months to check on the tumor and make sure it hasn’t grown. Once he is in remission, he will continue MRI testing once or twice a year.
Following his last radiation treatment, “we were hoping for the results to be that the tumor has shrunk or is shrinking,” said Amanda.
Test results continue to show that the tumor is still there, with no significant change in size, hopefully meaning the tumor is dead and will not grow any larger, even though it hasn’t shrunk.
“[At his August 2024 scan, the] tumor appeared a smidge smaller,” said Amanda. “Since there was really no change, we are still considering it as good news.”
From the beginning of their journey, Longfellow and his family say they have gotten the support they needed from funds raised locally all along the Gulf Coast.
Fundraisers have ranged from local fish fry events in Biloxi hosted by the Biloxi Police Department, to donations from all sales made during a citywide fundraiser in Long Beach, to being made Honorary Chief of Police for the Biloxi Police Department.
On September 26, 2019, the month of September was officially recognized worldwide as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, established to encourage supporters to “Go Gold” to increase awareness honoring the many children who are facing the effects of childhood cancer.
Recently, Long Beach joined a growing list of cities proclaiming September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in their municipality.
Although childhood cancer is rare, it is the number one leading cause of death for children under the age of fourteen in America. Many types of childhood cancers exist, but hematologic malignancies and tumors of the brain and central nervous system are most common, and 300,000 children worldwide are diagnosed with cancer each year – approximately 44 children each day.
This fall, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, together with the City of Long Beach, held a “Rock the Bald” event, inviting community members to secure sponsors and then shave their heads, make a donation, or help raise money for the Foundation, which raises awareness of and donates money to cancer research for improved cancer treatment plans and to help find a cure for all childhood cancers. At press time, Long Beach Mayor George Bass had committed to shaving his head for the cause.
Longfellow says he sees the beauty in God’s creation of his life and is learning how to handle his current life with a large tumor in his brain, hoping to be able to do the things he enjoyed before his cancer diagnosis.
To donate to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, visit www.StBaldricks.org.
