For St. Jude patient Beckett’s family, Thanksgiving recipe adds up to gratitude for life

Thanksgiving has always been Brett’s favorite holiday — the food, football and family — but it’s taken on new meaning since his son Beckett battled brain cancer.

Beckett was 3 in March 2023 when he was diagnosed with an atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor, or ATRT, and treated at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Beckett celebrated the end of eight months of treatment with a No More Chemo party, a tradition at St. Jude, on Nov. 21, 2023 — just two days before Thanksgiving. Brett and his wife, Tammie, got to take their son home to Michigan. 

It was a recipe for a joyous Thanksgiving celebration. 

This year, like every year, Brett will make the turkey. “I’m secretly the best cook in the family,” he said. (Tammie agrees.) “It’s all in the preparation.”

1 large turkey. 

1 5-gallon bucket.

Marinate in equal parts apple cider vinegar and water, slices of lemons, limes and oranges, and fresh chopped basil for three days.

Beckett’s favorite dish at Thanksgiving is his Nana’s fruit salad, not his dad’s turkey.

1 stick of butter. Smear over turkey, inside and out.

1 large roasting pan.

1 Detroit Lions game on TV.

Pry older kids from their phones. Peel Beckett away from his monster trucks. Fold in family and friends to taste.

1 full house.

Every night, Tammie and Brett pray to thank God for that day. Another day with Beckett.

The trips back to St. Jude every three months for checkups are getting harder. Beckett is on a streak of clear scans. Each trip could mean breaking it. 

“We don’t take anything for granted,” Brett said. Not a single day. Not a single moment. They understand how fortunate they are.

Combine all the things they’re grateful for.

1 year of scans showing Beckett still is free of disease.

Heaping scoops of the kindness of family, friends, neighbors and strangers — proof of the good in the world.

1 children’s research hospital in Memphis where medical staff refused to give up.

Mix in millions of St. Jude donors who make it possible.

1 happy boy.