Michael Mosier

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Home » New About Us » Meet Chad and Michael » Michael Mosier

On September 4, 2014, Michael was diagnosed with a tumor in his brain stem called a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). Michael had just turned six years old and started kindergarten. He was an active and energetic little boy with a thirst for learning. He had a huge smile that would light up a room.

Michael rarely complained during the unbelievably difficult 8 ½ months that followed. Even in his last days of life, when he could no longer eat, speak, or move, Michael wanted his teacher to come to the house to go over his school lessons.

We threw Michael a Big Hero 6 Movie Night Half Birthday Party when Michael turned six and a half. It is an unbelievable experience to try to happily celebrate your child’s half birthday, knowing that you may not see his next actual one.

Michael passed away on May 17, 2015, after a heroic battle, and he is remembered and missed greatly each and every day.

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Many Sides of Michael

Michael was the special kind of kid who equally enjoyed baseball and art projects, playing in the mud and doing puzzles, wrestling and board games.

Many Sides of Michael

Michael was confident and had no reservations about being the center of attention. When playing baseball, he'd go after the ball even if he was the smallest on the field.

Many Sides of Michael

Michael was also extremely kind, and we were so proud that he would make friends with everyone in his classes.

Many Sides of Michael

Michael had an incredible memory, and if you doubted him … you would usually be wrong.

Many Sides of Michael

From birth, Michael loved the color yellow. He loved playing with his little sister, Lila.

Many Sides of Michael

During his illness, Michael created a daily to-do list. His focus was on things he could still enjoy — doing Legos, going to school, drinking a milkshake. He insisted each day's list be finished before he'd go to sleep.

Many Sides of Michael

Michael didn't sit around feeling sorry for himself, so we figured we shouldn't be either. We'd do any project, outing, or activity that might bring him a smile.

Michael's DIPG Journey

A week after his 6th birthday and his 1st day of kindergarten, Michael began complaining of double vision, and his right eye stopped moving and blinking normally.

An MRI brought the tragic news that Michael had a tumor in his brainstem. While we hoped Michael had a more treatable tumor, a biopsy ultimately confirmed that Michael had DIPG: “Terminal upon diagnosis,” “Zero survival,” “No effective treatments,” and “No cure.”

Less than two weeks earlier, Michael had been jumping off the diving board and swimming. He had just been bouncing across the trampolines with his friends and family at Sky Zone for his 6th birthday. It literally did not seem possible that this was happening to our little boy.

The neuro-oncology team at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC, led Michael’s treatment. Michael mustered the energy to go to school each morning before going to NIH each afternoon to complete 30 radiation treatments. He concurrently took an experimental chemotherapy drug meant to enhance the effects of the radiation.

Many kids get temporary symptomatic relief from radiation, but Michael’s symptoms unfortunately continued to worsen. Just weeks after his diagnosis, Michael began using a wheelchair, lost the ability to use his left (and dominant) hand, and had difficulty speaking. He would often get nauseated and vomit due to pressure from the tumor. The steroids that Michael took to counteract the inflammation in his brain had their own troublesome side effects, including rapid and significant weight gain and sleeplessness. After radiation ended, Michael continued on a course of experimental chemotherapy that was administered for 5 days every 28 days.

Michael's Mission: Defeat DIPG

Michael inspired countless others to dig deep, overcome obstacles, and live life to the fullest. His efforts raised over $119,000 for pediatric brain tumor research for the Race for Hope – DC, and his Team Big Hero Michael was recognized as the top fundraising team for the event.

Michael was able to generate donations from people in all 50 states and in over 60 countries across the world, showing that even a 6-year-old boy can make a big impact. Domestic and international news outlets told Michael’s story, including Huffington Post, Headline News, and the Daily Mirror.

Inspired by Michael’s perseverance, courage and determination, his parents committed after his passing to complete the final item on Michael’s checklist: Defeat DIPG. Michael’s tumor tissue was donated to medical research, with hopes that it can be used for more medical breakthroughs and progress.

The Mosiers created Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation in Michael’s honor. The Foundation focused on finding a cure for DIPG through funding of innovative research. In less than 6 years, Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation raised over $8.45 million for DIPG research and brought together families across the country.

Starting in 2017, Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation worked in partnership with The ChadTough Foundation to fund game-changing DIPG projects through their joint research grant program. By unifying as one organization, the Mosiers believe this will take their shared mission to the next level and expedite progress towards a cure. Together, we will Defeat DIPG.

{Michael Mosier Circle of Friends Initiative}

The Mosier family holding a photo of Michael

“We still feel the pain of losing Michael everyday, but we want to channel our heartache into something good. We draw strength knowing that the research we fund is creating new treatment options for other families currently facing childhood brain cancer.”

— Jenny Mosier, Michael's mom

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