Last May, we at News4 introduced you to Finn Cusick, a brave boy from Charles County who was battling a rare form of brain cancer. The 10-year-old with a big heart inspired the movement "Finn's Fierce Fight," and brought together a community in his support.
Finn died peacefully at home in December, but his family is determined to carry on his legacy and help other kids. That's why they started a new foundation this week, aimed at funding clinical trials to find a cure.
The rare and aggressive brain cancer that took Finn's life, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma or DIPG, has no cure.
Despite the painful treatments, Finn's parents say he always looked out for others, like his little sister Evie. But the fight was sometimes tough.
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"I miss playing with everyone and talking to everyone," Finn told News4 in May. "Everybody wants me to come back."
It's been just a few months since Finn died.
"[We] still cry every day," Greg Cusick, Finn's dad, told News4. "Finn wanted to fight, and he fought the whole way through."
But through the pain, they've found purpose. The Cusick family just launched a new foundation in Finn's honor, aimed at funding research to find a cure for DIPG.
It's called the When I'm Better Foundation.
"Cause that's what Finn would always say," Carrie Cusick, Finn's mom, said. "'When I'm better I'm gonna play Minecraft,' 'When I'm better I'm gonna fight my sisters,' 'When I'm better I'm gonna play baseball,' it was everything. Every single day."
Finn wasn't the only one.
"When I talk to all of these other parents, they're like, my kid said the same thing -- when I'm better, when I'm better, and all of us knew they weren't going to get better," Carrie said.
But the Cusicks hope to make those dreams a reality for future DIPG patients. The foundation will also give money to families, to help with the overwhelming costs of treatment and travel.
"We've gotta find a way to help them, to make it better," Greg said. "They don't deserve this. They're already going through so much, they don't deserve any extra pain."
