Crosscheck Cancer for Cooper Deatherage

Cooper (“Juice” to those who know him best), has been a Brookings Ranger hockey skater for 11 years and proudly served as Assistant Captain for Boys Varsity during the 2024–2025 season. He graduated from Brookings High School in May 2025 with big plans ahead — attending SDSU, working hard, and beginning the next exciting chapter of life.

In July 2025, everything changed.

Cooper woke up one morning with blurred vision. After numerous tests and no clear answers, a late-night ER visit revealed a mass in the center of his brain. He was referred to Sioux Falls for an MRI, but upon arrival, doctors told him to keep going — east to Mayo Clinic. Driving through the night, Cooper was admitted to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, in the early morning hours of July 20th.

From there, things moved quickly.

A biopsy confirmed the diagnosis, and a treatment plan was immediately put into place:

• 4 weeks of chemotherapy

• An 8-hour brain surgery

• 6 weeks of radiation, all at Mayo Clinic

Cooper’s radiation treatment was supposed to begin December 26th, but over the last few days he’s been increasingly off—sleeping nearly 18 hours a day, complaining of head pressure, and just not himself. That morning things escalated quickly with severe vomiting, which led to an ER visit. From there, Cooper was admitted, and his care team determined that the new tumor has grown large enough to block the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid. To relieve pressure, they placed a shunt in his head to help drain the CSF. We are hoping to get back on track with the radiation plan in the next few days.

Once able, the radiation plan will be taking place five days a week for six weeks. After that, he will undergo follow-up MRIs every three months for the first year, with scans gradually tapering over time. If all remains clear, this monitoring will continue for up to 10 years — at which point doctors will call his journey complete.

One of the hardest parts of this journey has been watching Cooper slow down.

He has an incredible work ethic and desperately wants to work, but vision issues, driving restrictions, and lifting limits have made that impossible for now. A kid who loves lifting weights has been restricted to just 15 pounds — though true to who he is, Cooper continues finding safe ways to stay active (yes, even if that means taking his mom to the gym with him).

Despite everything, Cooper’s goals remain strong:

• Beat this diagnosis

• Get healthy and ready to work at Brookings Country Club (BCC) this spring/summer

• Golf and fish with the boys

• Start the “sweet life” of university this fall

Above all, we know God is at work.

We place our complete faith in His ability to bring the right people, the right care, and the right solutions into our lives. Cooper and his family firmly believe that his comeback will be stronger than the setback.

We are deeply grateful for every prayer spoken for Cooper and his care team. We ask that the Lord bless them with wisdom, clarity, and steady hands as they work toward healing — for Cooper and for everyone battling this terrible disease.

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

Proverbs 16:9

Thank you for your prayers, support, and love as Cooper fights with courage, faith, and determination.

If you are able to support Cooper and his family—whether by donating, sharing this page, or simply keeping them in your thoughts and prayers—it truly means more than we can put into words. Thank you for standing with Cooper as he keeps fighting!