Rexburg rallies around 13 year old with rare form of cancer

Any given summer day, Rexburg Rapids is filled with kids cooling off in the summer heat

But looking closely at the crowd this afternoon, people wearing “B” shirts fill the water park, balloons fly in the wind and food is being served for a special party.

“We’re really going to miss him. He’s a kind of guy that’s always happy and barely ever gets sad or mad or anything like that,” said Kyson Hill, who came up with the idea for the party.

The kind of guy that can also stay strong when life deals the cancer card to a 13 year old kid.

“I’m going to Utah and they’re just going to do checkups and see if I’m going to have any more cancer in my body and all that stuff,” said 13 year old Britton Pugh who is battling a rare form of cancer.

With his best friend Kyson by his side, “He’s trust worthy, a really good friend,” said Pugh.

These two who’ve spent every summer together since they were two, will spend this summer apart, while Britton gets a bone marrow transplant at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“He’s such a social kid and he loves his friends,” said Susie Pugh, Britton’s mother.

Britton was diagnosed with central nervous system T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma after going to the hospital in January for a headache.

“So they found out that he has a cancer that’s not in children,” said Susie Pugh.

A rare cancer only found in adults, chemotherapy and radiation have helped, but a bone marrow transplant is the next step.

The family searched months for a donor, a couple weeks ago they found a match.

“They won’t tell us much about him, other than he’s a male and he’s 25,” said Susie Pugh.

A hopeful end to a tough journey, and even tough this is goodbye is bittersweet, a tough kid has a tough team behind him, and for Britton it’s all about believing in the superpower of miracles.

“Yeah I can’t wait for it to be gone and done with,” said Britton Pugh.

Portions of today’s sales at Rexburg Rapids will go to help the family.

Tests begin Tuesday morning and the Pugh family will be living in Salt Lake City for the next 100 days.