Western Dubuque’s Brett Harris continues to play baseball despite brain tumor: ‘Suck it up and move forward’

FARLEY — Brett Harris arrived at Farley Community Park for morning baseball practice.

He joined his teammates for a warm-up jog around Western Dubuque’s home diamond and started working out.

About an hour in, Harris stepped away to eat an energy bar clutched in his hand. A necessity to address the effects of chemotherapy he must take every morning.

The new normal he faces after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in March 2023.

“You just kind of suck it up and move forward,” Harris said.

Harris is in the middle of his second baseball season since the diagnosis, handling the effects of the benign mass and confronting the challenges directly. The elite all-state player serves as an emotional and inspirational leader for the two-time defending state champion and Class 3A top-ranked Bobcats.

“We’re so proud of how he’s handled this,” said Scott Harris, Brett’s father. “He’s handled it a lot better than mom (Julie) and me.”

The Bobcats will host No. 4 Dubuque Wahlert for a night dedicated to raising awareness and funds for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Monies raised will be donated to the PBTF to support ongoing research in hopes of a cure. Western Dubuque will wear warmup tops with Harris’ name and number on it, while Wahlert will wear yellow shoestrings. Yellow is the color used to recognize pediatric cancer.

“It’s about awareness, but not just Brett,” Western Dubuque Coach Casey Bryant said. “Lots of kids in the Western Dubuque community district are dealing with brain tumors and people aren’t aware of it.

“So, we’re trying to make people aware. I just found out there is a moms support group in Dubuque County for that because there are quite a few kids struggling with it.”

Diagnosis ‘was disbelief’

Harris quietly battled issues before finding out about the tumor. For more than two years, Harris endured headaches. He never had them before seventh grade, so he assumed it was the same discomfort others experienced with headaches and migraines.

Often, they would visit the doctor or chiropractor, receiving an adjustment or treatment for temporary fixes. Harris said some referred to them as “cluster headaches” and nothing was visible on X-rays. The pain increased as he approached his freshman year.

“We weren’t sure what they were,” Brett said. “Then, I had an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging test) my freshman year that showed a mass. They got a clearer image with the MRI and could see what type of tumor it was and that is how we found out that it was a brain tumor.”

The news was a punch to the gut for a physically talented, active teenager who worked out and took care of himself. The shock reverberated through the family.

“It was disbelief,” Scott said. “Very emotional.

“It’s something you can’t control. You think why it can’t be me and not him.”

Brett said being able to continue his favorite activities helped him cope. He said he tried to remain optimistic despite the sobering initial results.

“It really wasn’t that much to me,” Brett said. “Obviously, I don’t want a brain tumor or anything like that but as long as everything in my life stays the same, and I was able to keep doing the things I love to do it wasn’t going to affect me as much as others because it can be much worse for some people who have more severe brain tumors.”

An all-state season despite seizures

Brett played his freshman baseball season and many were oblivious to his situation. He still batted .412 with a .517 on-base percentage, tallying 61 hits and 41 RBIs and earning all-state super team honors from the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association.

The headaches and migraines were actually a type of seizure. He withstood the seizures, which made the ball look like white flashes coming at him. He would have two to three a game but was determined to keep competing.

“It wasn’t really fun when you’d sit in the box and didn’t know what was coming at you or where it was going,” Brett said. “I still tried my hardest to go up there and do my best.”

Over the last year, the family has consulted multiple medical professionals. Brett travels to the Mayo Clinic about every three months for an MRI to monitor his condition. The condition has been stable the last couple of trips.

“It’s pretty annoying driving three hours,” Brett said with a slight chuckle. “They do have the best doctors in the world.”

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The entire family has helped Brett deal with the situation with maturity and perseverance. He is thankful for their support, noting his mother was key in dealing with everything head on.

“As soon as you start feeling sorry for yourself, the rest can go downhill,” Brett Harris said. “That’s definitely not what you want to do. You just kind of suck it up and move forward.”

The Ole Miss commit is participating in “targeted therapy,” consisting of taking pills each morning and evening. He deals with some side effects but they are manageable.

“Julie and I made a determination that we have to let him make decisions on his own,” Scott said. “Even though he’s 16, there are certain things that as we’ve been told, you’ve got to let them experience it. The targeted therapy, he didn’t want to get on that. We said you’re going to get on this. We have to attack this and do that. He handles it so well.”

Baseball can serve as a respite, where the serenity of the sunshine, bright green grass, the wind and settling dust of an infield replace the cares of everyday life.

“I think it’s where he’s happiest,” Bryant said. “For a lot of kids and coaches, you wouldn’t do this for so long if you didn’t love it. I think he’s happiest on the baseball diamond. You can go compete and feel very normal for a short period of time.”

One of the tougher choices was to forgo football in the fall, watching his friends and teammates in practice and on the field without being able to play with them. The plans have changed this fall. Brett, who was the Bobcats’ starting quarterback as a freshman, is expected to return for his junior season.

“Hopefully, I can play this year,” Harris said. “I’m going to try to play.”

The message: Keep climbing

Brett has insisted that nothing change with the approach to the game. He wants to be pushed just as hard as he was in the past. Harris still has high goals that he wants to achieve and knows self-pity won’t be helpful. So, Bryant drives Harris. His teammates still razz him and give him the occasional hard time. The expectations remain cloud-level high.

“I definitely do not want any special treatment from him,” Brett said. “As long as he can keep pushing me to be the best and hold me to a higher standard, and if one day comes and there is something I’m unable to do for some reason caused by a symptom or something I will let him know. Just so he’s heads up about it.

“Other than that, I want him to keep pushing me the hardest he can.”

The only real difference is that Bryant, who is also Brett’s counselor in school, sits for weekly talks to let Brett share whatever is on his mind.

“That’s really the only change,” Bryant said. “Brett has made it very clear to me that he wants to be coached hard. He wants to be held to a really hard standard. His goals in his life have not changed. He still wants to compete at the highest level and he doesn’t want any pity. He does not want anybody, taking it easy on him.

“That has taken me off the hook a little bit.”

This season, Harris has 15 hits with a .273 batting average and a .437 on-base percentage. He is 5-0 on the mound with a 2.66 earned-run average, leading the Bobcats with 23 2/3 innings pitched.

Bryant said he sees an added appreciation for the chance to compete.

“There are some things he has to deal with that no one else has to and no one understands the scope of it other than Brett,” Bryant said. “I see a courageous young man and that’s exactly what I expect out of him. I’m super proud of him for where he’s at.”

The family has praised the support from the Western Dubuque community, including Bryant and head football coach Justin Penner. Both have been there for him when he’s needed it, whether it was on the field, in school or in the weight room.

“They always understood,” said Brett, who has been building up his strength and conditioning since he returned to the weight room in the winter. “They’ve always asked me what I thought would help me. We go from there and start doing something.”

Harris has a very distinct and direct message for those dealing with any challenges. Life is filled with difficulties but the key is to keep climbing. Win the battle and the more resilient you will become.

“If you’re dealing with adversity, you’re probably on the downside, so the only way to go is up,” Brett said. “Adversity is not the greatest thing but it happens to everyone in life. The thing it does is make you stronger and prepares you for the rest of your life.”

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com