All-Star Bentley

“I thought, wow, there are really good people in this world. I don’t think anyone can survive without this help. Just knowing that someone has your back.” - All-Star Bentley’s mom, Kelly.

Twelve-year-old Bentley and his mom, Kelly, have made over 50 trips to the hospital, three hours away and back, to receive cancer treatment over the past 15 months. Bentley’s younger brother is shuffled between his grandmother’s house and before and after-school programs, which has elevated his separation anxiety.

Kelly wishes she could be in two places at once.

Outside help was not just a nice-to-have for Bentley’s family when he was diagnosed with a Germinoma brain tumor. It was a necessity.

When Bentley started complaining of headaches, Kelly wasn’t overly concerned. After all, migraines run in the family, and headaches were something Bentley would complain of when he was coming down with a virus.

When the headaches became more persistent, Kelly got worried. Her son, who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit disorder (ADD), is on a medication to stimulate his appetite, which is suppressed by his ADD medicine, and is also supposed to help prevent headaches.

Kelly took him to see his pediatrician, who referred him to a pediatric neurologist.

The neurologist ordered an MRI, and the hospital was three hours away, so Kelly and Bentley planned a visit to the Natural History Museum while they were there.

That museum visit never happened for Bentley and Kelly.

After the initial MRI, another scan was ordered. “I thought, what are you seeing?” Kelly said. “Why does he need another scan?”

Kelly sat close to Bentley during the lengthy MRI to help calm him.

Afterward, Bentley was sent to pick out a prize. While he was gone, the doctor told Kelly that Bentley had a mass on his brain.

“I started to process the news and then Bentley walked in, so I had to compose myself for him,” she said.

They would need to find out if it was cancerous or not, so Bentley had a brain biopsy a few days later. They were sent home to wait for the results.

When the call came, the news was devastating: Bentley has a brain tumor.

Kelly and Bentley were immediately sent back to the hospital, where he began several rounds of chemotherapy followed by five weeks of radiation. In total, they made 30 trips to the hospital, three hours away.

Kelly said her thoughts quickly turned to their financial situation. A special education teacher, Kelly stopped working. She feared she would lose her job, but the school district where she worked supported her. Still, she was losing income.

“I thought: money is money, you can always make it,” Kelly said. “You can’t always have your child.”

Kelly said she was given a list of organizations that could help, and Pinky Swear was the one she applied to first. Applying was easy, without a lot of hoops to jump through, she said.

“We received an Orange Envelope, and I felt this foundation really wants to make a difference; it felt authentic, and I wear the bracelet we received all the time,” Kelly said.

The Orange Envelope program provides timely assistance, including a $200 gift card and heartfelt Letters of Encouragement.

That helped with gas and groceries, which Kelly said are the biggest expenses.

Bentley only got to go home from the hospital if he was able to eat a certain amount each day. Kelly relied on the hospital’s kids menu for Bentley, and delivered takeout for herself, which she would try to stretch out over a few days to save money.

Bentley will remain in active treatment until February 2026 and will receive scans for at least 10 years once treatment is complete because he has also been identified with a gene that predisposes him to cancer in the future.

Kelly navigates appointments for both her sons — about 13 a week — as well as her teaching job and studying for her master’s degree. Through it all, she is grateful for all the support she has received, saying it’s been humbling and emotional.

“I thought, wow, there are really good people in this world,” Kelly said. “I don’t think anyone can survive without this help. Just knowing that someone has your back.”

And she hopes to return the favor one day.

“I feel like so many people have done so much for us,” Kelly said. “I want to do the same.”