By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News
Beloved son, brother and friend Pierce Broe died October 4 after a long battle with brain cancer. He is survived by his parents, Kevin and Janel Broe, his sister, Julianne, 16, and his brothers Carson, 14 and Forrest, 10, all of River Place.
Pierce was active to the end. Saturday, the family was to have left on their Make-a-Wish trip to the Bahamas where they could fish and snorkel to their hearts’ content.
Instead, Pierce was hospitalized on Friday and died on Saturday.
Pierce was a boy well-equipped for the challenges he faced in his fight against cancer. Not only was he brave, he was also unflaggingly positive. He did not complain, made friends wherever he went, and never lost his sense of wonder.
For Pierce, every day was an opportunity for adventure, for plans to be made and carried out. Before cancer, he could be found at his parents bedside at 6:30 most Saturday mornings, ready to chop down a tree, catch a fish or build a fire.
After cancer, while his body struggled against the limitations imposed by his illness, he was still eager to be out in the world, to learn and touch and be part of the action. He didn’t want to miss out on anything.
A neighbor, knowing Pierce Broe’s love of hunting, left a stuffed deer’s head on the family’s porch. That buck’s head, antlers and all, rode front and center with Pierce in his Gator at a mini-marathon for cancer survivors on September 28.
The following weekend, cancer took Peirce’s life.
He went to football practice in his wheelchair, coaching and encouraging his teammates. He skied with his family in Colorado in March, using a specially adapted ski chair on black diamond slopes. And as an honorary member of the Vandegrift lacrosse team, he attended their big game against Anderson High, even telling the team they needed to “man up.” They won their game that day. Continue reading
