Alison and Ben Crockett made a very difficult decision after losing their 5-year-old daughter Cecilia to pediatric brain cancer. Amid their grief, they agreed to donate her brain so doctors could better study rare and aggressive tumors in children.
The diagnosis came after signs that at first seemed isolated, such as headaches, vomiting, and a problem with the movement of one of her eyes. Tests revealed a mass in the center of her brain, and from then on, the family endured surgeries, treatments, and months of uncertainty.
The donation made it possible to create the Cecilia B. Crockett Brain Tissue Donation Program at Riley Children’s Hospital. Today, that program has facilitated new pediatric brain donations. Cecilia’s name became linked to research that could help other families.