He Keeps Getting Back Up: Trey’s Inspiring Battle Against an Unforgiving Disease
If you’re looking for a little inspiration to begin your day — let it come from a 5-year-old boy named Trey Lowman.
A child whose courage could humble any adult, whose fight has become a beacon of faith and strength.
He’s from Louisville, Kentucky — a boy with bright eyes, a fearless heart, and a smile that has never faded, not even through pain.
Trey is the kind of kid who falls down, gets back up, and keeps fighting — again and again.
Because giving up simply isn’t in his nature.
Trey’s journey began in March of 2023.
His mom, Ebony, still remembers the date that changed everything — March 10th — the day doctors said her son had
Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor (ATRT), an extremely rare and aggressive form of brain cancer that primarily affects children.
Fewer than 60 cases are diagnosed in the United States each year.
There is no known cure.
“From the start, Trey’s fight has been unimaginable,” Ebony shares softly.
“He has endured things no child should ever have to go through.”
The list of treatments reads like a battle log:
Four rounds of high-dose chemotherapy.
A full year on palliative chemo.
Two brain surgeries.
A stem cell transplant.
Twenty-nine rounds of proton radiation.
Each treatment came with risks, pain, and nights spent in hospital rooms filled with wires and quiet prayers.
Each one tested not only his body but the faith of an entire family.
Then, finally — on November 19th, 2023 — came the day they had been praying for.
Trey completed his treatment.
He was declared in remission.
The Lowman family celebrated with tears, laughter, and a gratitude too deep for words.
For nine precious months, Trey was cancer-free.
Nine months of playgrounds, birthdays, laughter, and light.
Nine months where his parents could breathe again.
But on August 5th, 2024, the nightmare returned.
The scans showed what every parent fears — the cancer was back.
The tumor had reappeared, and this time it was even more complicated.
Doctors moved quickly.
Trey underwent laser ablation brain surgery, followed by five rounds of photon radiation targeting the tumor near his optic nerve.
He was brave through it all — clutching his favorite toy, smiling at nurses, and asking when he could go home to his dogs.
For a few weeks, it seemed like hope might win again
But on September 19th, 2025, during a routine MRI, the Lowmans heard the words no parent should ever hear twice:
The cancer had spread to his brain stem and spine.
Now, Trey is undergoing 20 rounds of photon radiation — this time to his brain and spine — to try to slow the progression of this aggressive disease.
His parents are hoping it will give them more time.
More mornings with his laughter.
More nights to tuck him in.
More memories to hold on to.
Ebony says, “This journey has taken everything from us — physically, emotionally, financially.
I had to quit my job to care for Trey full-time, and my husband works tirelessly to keep us going.
It’s exhausting, but we find strength in our faith and in Trey’s smile.”
Through the pain, Trey still shines.
He still finds joy in simple things — drawing with crayons, watching superhero movies, or laughing at his dad’s silly jokes.
He greets nurses by name, hands out stickers to other kids in the clinic, and says “thank you” after every procedure.
His joy is contagious.
His courage, undeniable.
“Despite everything,” Ebony says, “Trey lights up every room he enters.
His joy, his strength, his spirit — it inspires everyone who meets him.”
For the past two years, Ebony has done more than just care for her son — she’s become his advocate, his voice, his biggest believer.
She’s worked tirelessly to raise awareness for childhood cancer, to remind the world that no family should have to walk this path alone.
She’s seen the worst days — and still, she chooses to believe in better ones.
“God gives us strength every single day,” she says.
“Through everything, we keep walking by faith.
We pray every night that this treatment slows down the cancer — that God gives us more time with our precious boy.”
As Trey faces his final week of radiation, his family clings to every moment.
His parents read him bedtime stories, take pictures of his smile, and thank God for another day.
Because in their home, time isn’t measured in weeks or months — it’s measured in laughter, in hugs, in “I love you’s.”
This little boy, only five years old, has endured more than most adults ever will.
But through it all, he’s remained a warrior — brave, joyful, and endlessly kind.
His story isn’t just about illness; it’s about courage.
It’s about a family’s love that refuses to break.
And it’s about faith — the kind that keeps burning, even in the darkest nights.
When asked what she’s learned from her son, Ebony’s eyes filled with tears.
“He’s taught me what it really means to be strong,” she said.
“To keep believing when everything seems impossible.
To smile, even when it hurts.
And to love — deeper, louder, and with everything you have.”
So today, if you’re looking for inspiration, look to Trey.
A little boy with half the size, twice the fight, and a heart that refuses to quit.
His story is a reminder that strength doesn’t always roar — sometimes, it whispers through the voice of a child saying,
“I’m not done yet.”
💛 Keep Trey in your thoughts and prayers.
May his courage inspire us all to keep standing, keep believing, and never, ever give up. 💛