SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – Cancer. The word alone can bring many people to a standstill. And for the Settle family, a cancer diagnosis was a shock to the core.

In March 2022, Brantley was 7 years old when he was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Brantley spent a whole month at Beacon Children’s Hospital, where he underwent his first treatments. A difficult time for Brantley and the whole family.

“The doctor came in and basically told me they were pretty sure he had cancer,” said Doug Settle, Brantley’s father. “And I had to call them and get them here. I was from Elkhart and they were from Cass. It was the longest drive of my life.”

Fortunately, Brantley is a fighter and was able to quickly regress the cancer on April 16 of that year.

For the past two years, Brantley has continued his treatment, coming in twice a month for help.

And through a partnership with the South Bend Cubs and Beacon Children’s Hospital, Brantley will be able to experience a once in a lifetime moment!

On Friday, Brantley will hit his “home run for life” by rounding the bases as players, fans and Beacon medical staff cheer him on, bringing him full circle to what he accomplished two years ago.

“It’s exciting for him,” said Michaela Settle, Brantley’s mother. “He calls them his nurses, so they get to come along and do that. So he thinks it’s special.”

Beacon Health System and the South Bend Cubs have been hosting “Homerun for Life” since 2013 in the hopes of making such moments possible for all children with cancer.

All rights reserved.