“I Chose to Thrive”: A Brain Tumor Survivor’s 48-Year Journey

When Chris Lane was just nine months old, his parents noticed something wasn’t right. He began having staring spells and would suddenly pass out. His worried mother took him to multiple doctors, but at first, no one could find the cause. Some even dismissed her concerns as new-parent anxiety. But she persisted, and eventually, doctors in Charleston, South Carolina discovered the truth: Chris had a brain tumor.

At only 10 months old, Chris underwent surgery to remove the tumor. The operation was risky—at one point, his tiny body stopped breathing on the table—but he survived. What followed was years of seizures and medications, and moments of uncertainty that shadowed much of his early childhood.

Chris’s last seizure came when he was 15 years old. By 17, he made the bold decision to stop his medication, determined to take control of his own future. From that moment on, he has not only survived but thrived.

Today, Chris is 48 years old, a husband, a father to a 12-year-old son, and a professional who has built a long career in the medical field. He has also spent more than three decades working in high school athletics, starting as a team manager when he was too young to play sports himself. “What began as helping on the sidelines turned into a lifelong passion,” Chris says.

But perhaps his most impactful legacy is his mission work. After losing a cousin to glioblastoma, Chris and his family began traveling the country and the world to raise awareness about brain tumors and to spread messages of faith and hope. Over the years, they’ve handed out more than 37,000 Bibles in all 50 states and dozens of countries.

Chris’s journey hasn’t been easy—he still lives with lingering headaches and questions about what’s “normal” for him—but he refuses to let his diagnosis define him. “You can either use it as a reason to fail or as a motivator to succeed,” he says. “I chose to thrive.”

For families facing new diagnoses, Chris wants his story to be a beacon: “I know it’s hard right now, but survival is possible. Your child can grow up, go to college, start a career, and have a family. There is life beyond this diagnosis.”

When asked what a world without childhood brain tumors would mean to him, Chris’s answer is simple: hope. Hope for his son, for families just beginning their journey, and for the future.

“Until my last day,” Chris says, “I’ll keep sharing that message of hope. Because no one should have to face this journey feeling alone.”

Chris’s journey of resilience and hope aligns closely with the mission of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF). Through his advocacy and the distribution of Bibles, Chris has become a beacon of hope for families navigating the challenges of childhood brain tumors. His work complements PBTF’s efforts to provide support, fund research, and inspire hope for a future without childhood brain tumors.