René Marsh, a government regulation and transportation correspondent for CNN, revealed Wednesday her young son has been diagnosed with brain cancer.
Marsh and her husband learned of the diagnosis on Dec. 22.
“Life can change its trajectory in the blink of an eye and perfect becomes imperfect overnight,” Marsh wrote in a lengthy Facebook post. “The doctor, with an MRI in hand, told my husband and I, ‘Your son has a fast-growing tumor in the center of his brain. The most malignant grade of tumor.’”
“My eyes are permanently red and headaches last for days these days,” she continued. “The emotional toll is not like anything I can describe. Your chest feels like it’s caving in and you’re heart and stomach are sinking. It’s a dark feeling. You feel like this can’t be real. But it is and there’s no escaping it. So this is my life now. The child who I dreamed about for years, who I carried for nine months and smiled every time I felt his kicks inside me, has brain cancer.”
The CNN journalist explained she was initially reluctant to share her story and her young son’s battle, but ultimately decided there is more to be gained through transparency than by fighting in the shadows.
Marsh admitted that, in the recesses of her mind, she hopes her openness will “guide us to the perfect treatment that will cure him.” She also said she hopes her transparency provides comfort to others who have similar stories or puts into perspective the difficulties others face.
“Perhaps this post will allow me to find some purpose in this pain and lead someone to reflect on their lives and realize things aren’t that bad or maybe you have a similar story,” she wrote.
Marsh’s CNN colleagues have been posting well wishes and calls for prayer on social media following her heartbreaking post:
Please be in prayer for Marsh, her husband, and their young son. Pray for peace, for God’s comfort, for joy in this most despairing time, and for healing.