8-Year-Old Boy With Brain Cancer Wished for Some Christmas Cards — And Got Thousands

Drake’s family regularly updates his community on how he’s doing with his treatment in a Facebook group called “Drake’s Battle with DIPG.” On Dec. 12, a post featuring pictures of Drake and all his cards read “Drake took his 28th dose of chemo today and still rocked the day. He had lots of surprises and got nerf guns.”

DIPG is a tumor that starts in the brain stem, there’s currently no cure, according to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This type of tumor is most common in children ages 5 to 10, though they can occur at any age. Surgery is rarely used when treating DIPG due to extensive risks when operating on that part of the brain, so the disease is typically treated with a combination of radiation and chemotherapy. There are currently multiple trials underway across the country looking at ways to improve the survival rates for kids diagnosed with DIPG.

Danielle Quibodeaux, Drake’s mother, explained earlier this month that even with treatment, the prognosis for her son is not good. “At the start, they give you nine to 12 months. And on the 12th of this month, it’ll be nine months.”

That’s why cards and prayers from people throughout the country, and the world, mean so much to the Quibodeaux family. Drake even received a card from the White House, and was given tickets to the Fiesta Bowl, to watch his favorite football team, the LSU Tigers, play in Arizona.

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