AJ Cucksey and East Tennessee Children's Hospital's "awareness for pilocyctic astrocytoma" campaign.

While on a family vacation to Disneyworld in December, 2014, 4-year-old AJ Cucksey began to display troubling neurological symptoms. A subsequent diagnosis of pilocyctic astrocytoma--a form of pediatric cancer that causes non-malignant tumors in the brain--began the Cucksey family's journey through the bewildering and traumatizing world involving a seriously ill child. Although AJ ended chemotherapy in December of 2015, his condition is lifelong. The tumors are inoperable, and will likely impact him indefinitely.

“At one point in the PICU, AJ said that he couldn’t do something. It’s funny that I can’t recall what it was, but I can recall telling him, 'You can do this. You are a Cucksey. You are strong. Cuckseys don’t say ‘can’t,’” mom Shannon said. “On this journey, you are up and down a lot, especially in those early months. So #CuckseyStrong sort of became a catchphrase, for lack of a better way to put it, that we could go back to for a reset and to remind ourselves about what we are made of.”

Also through his ordeal, AJ made the acquaintance of the University of Tennessee Volunteers, including his best friend Joshua Dobbs, the starting quarterback of the team. As often as Josh's schedule allows, he comes over to play with AJ, and to every game he wears the PRAYERS FOR AJ bracelet the Cucksey family gave him almost two years ago.

Now that AJ is chemo-free, he's turned his thoughts to helping others and raising awareness for pilocyctic astrocytoma. As the Children's Miracle Network Champion for the state of Tennessee, he wants to help those who helped him so much. So AJ decided to do what he could for the East Tennessee Children's Hospital that did so much for him.

"I drive past three other perfectly good hospitals for my children to get to ETCH. There was no need for our family to be split up, jobs quit, geographically spread out so that AJ could be treated. We stayed right here. AJ got to go to school and church, see extended family, enjoy familiar environments, and enjoy a few UT football games in person. I contribute our chance to maintain a sense of normalcy as part of AJ’s great progress," Shannon Cucksey said.

So AJ and his family have taken #CuckseyStrong as a motto extend to all children in Eastern Tennessee who are facing their own battles, and to help ETCH continue their vitaand amazing outreach to families dealing with pediatric cancer. So share the message of #CuckseyStrong and give those children a real chance for the future!