Five months after a Saugatuck firefighter lost his young daughter to brain cancer, the department is honoring her memory with an inscription on one of their firetrucks.
On Feb. 20, 2018, Capt. Mike Betts’ 7-year-old daughter Avery was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), an aggressive brain tumor found at the base of the brain. Approximately 300 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with a DIPG tumor every year, usually between the ages of 5 and 9 years old.
Doctors initially estimated Avery would survive fewer than six months due to the aggressive nature of the cancer, but she lived for more than 16 months before she died in June.
The community immediately offered up their love and prayers, with some offering financial support as well, but many were left wondering what more they could do to help the Betts family.