Gymnastics was Brooklynne Thorson’s life. So much so, that in 2018, when she began having vision problems where the vault table looked farther left than it was, or the beam seemed as small as a spaghetti noodle, Brooklynne was more worried about being pulled from gymnastics than the symptoms themselves.

“I look back now and realize how dangerous that was, but at the time, I didn’t think it was a big deal,” Brooklynne said. “I used muscle memory to continue gymnastics and trusted (that) my body knew what to do. In my head, this would pass and things would go back to normal eventually.”

But the vision problems persisted, as well as frequent headaches – three to four a week.

“She came home one day and said, ‘Is it weird I asked my friend, Ally, if my eyes were open?’ The room had gone black,” recalled Brooklynne’s mother, Holly. “This is when I knew something was seriously wrong … my mom instincts kicked in, and I couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong. I even said out loud to many people: ‘What if she has a brain tumor?’”

In October 2018, Brooklynne was seen by an ophthalmologist, who noticed her optic nerves were inflamed. She was sent to the emergency room for an MRI. The test confirmed it was a brain tumor.

“They popped the image up on the screen and my heart stopped,” Holly said. “I’d said the words out loud, but I never really believed it.”

Everything happened quickly after that, Holly said. An ambulance took Brooklynne to the children’s hospital, where the family met with a neurosurgeon. Less than a week after discovering the tumor, Brooklynne underwent a craniotomy to remove it.

“It was unheard of,” Holly said. “She was supposed to be in the hospital seven to ten days. She looked at the surgeon ahead of time and told him she had a gymnastics meet in two months, so he better get her back on the floor in two weeks. Everyone, including us, thought she was crazy, but he didn’t. He saw the determination in her and said, ‘I will do the best I can.’”

Brooklynne was discharged 47 hours after the nine-hour surgery. Two weeks later, she was doing gymnastics again, albeit with restrictions. The first meet back, she qualified for state and at state, took fourth on floor.

The baseball-sized tumor surgeons removed was sent to pathology, where it was revealed to be a grade two pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma, a rare kind of tumor which accounts for just 1% of pediatric brain tumors, according to Brooklynne’s GoFundMe page. Grade two is benign, but it has a 20-30% chance of recurrence with the risk of becoming a grade three tumor, which is malignant. In simpler terms, cancer. But each year, the chance of recurrence goes down.

At first, Brooklynne had to return for additional MRIs every couple months. If there was no recurrence, testing was done every year. It was following the last yearly scan before going to every two years that  doctors discovered another tumor.

“They said it was about the size of a grape this time and since it was in the last cavity and small, it had not presented symptoms yet,” Brooklynne said. “I made jokes (about) if I had gotten another tumor but I never thought it would actually happen. As it sunk in, I knew deep down I would be okay. I trusted my team of doctors since I’ve known them for over six years now. So I made jokes in the office, which probably wasn’t the best time, but that’s just how I respond.”

Brooklynne graduated on June 5, 2025 from Prior Lake High School. She celebrated at her graduation party on June 7, then had surgery on June 9.

One week after graduation, the biopsy results came back showing the tumor had morphed into grade three. The diagnosis was brain cancer.

“The bottom just kept falling out,” Holly said. “We are devastated and angry that this is happening to her, but know that God has a plan for her.”

Brooklynne started proton radiation therapy at Mayo Clinic on July 7, which she will do five days a week for six weeks. After a month to recover, she will undergo two years of oral chemotherapy. The cancer has complicated her post-high school plans, but so far, hasn’t delayed them. Brooklynne is starting school at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire this fall, where she is majoring in pediatric oncology nursing.

“After I had the first brain tumor, I knew I wanted to do something in the healthcare field because I loved how friendly my nurses and healthcare team was and how they treated me,” Brooklynne said. “It made me realize I want to help other kids in the same way. I remember every nurse that I encountered during my stay. My hope is I can impact at least one child like they impacted me.”

The diagnosis hasn’t dimmed Brooklynne’s bright and positive personality, Holly said.

“She lights up every room she goes into and leaves a huge impact on anyone that has ever met her,” she said. “She has the most bubbly and outgoing personality and is unapologetically herself … She has a tendency to listen to only positive things and tune out the rest because she is already determined she is going to make it happen, so there is no point in listening to the negative.”

The community has rallied around Brooklynne and her family. A GoFundMe set up by Brooklynne’s aunts has raised more than $27,500 of its $30,000 goal.

“The amount of love and support I have received has really changed my mindset on everything,” Brooklynne said. “I’ve gotten numerous messages, people reaching out, visitors, and prayers, that have shown me how strong I am and how I am not alone. I appreciate everyone that has reached out to me. It means more than they know.”

It will be a long road of unknowns, but no one fights harder than Brooklynne, Holly said.

“We have to put our trust in God and in Brooklynne,” she said. “She has an army of supporters that are cheering her on and will do anything to help her get better so she can achieve her goals … the overwhelming support and donations we have gotten from friends, family, and complete strangers have gotten us through some dark times and has helped us hold onto our faith and continue to believe in miracles.”