Owen Laske

At just six years old, Owen was the kind of little boy who left an impression on everyone he met. Endlessly curious, fiercely determined and always ready with quick banter, he had a way of bringing smiles wherever he went. Whether he was building elaborate Legos, mastering math problems, collecting Pokémon cards, playing Nintendo Switch or running across the soccer field, Owen embraced life with enthusiasm. But above all else, Owen’s favorite place to be was with his family.

His two older brothers, Keson and Conley, were his built-in best friends, and he proudly embraced his role as big brother to little Rowena. Whether they were reading stories together, playing games, camping, visiting the zoo or simply spending time together at home, Owen was happiest when surrounded by the people he loved most.

His parents, Rebecca and Cory, described him best.
“Owen is the most perfect little boy. He is so thoughtful, funny, brave, kind, determined, full of energy, really smart, super strong, and loves his family fiercely.”

In November 2025, Rebecca and Cory began noticing subtle changes in Owen’s balance. As his symptoms progressed, they rushed him to the emergency department, where imaging revealed every parent’s worst nightmare: an inoperable tumor in his brainstem. An MRI confirmed the devastating diagnosis of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG).

Within days, Owen underwent a biopsy, opening the door to future clinical trial opportunities. Shortly afterward, he began radiation therapy, completing all 30 sessions without sedation, a reflection of the bravery that would become a hallmark of his journey.

Radiation brought encouraging results, but Owen’s fight was far from over.

Determined to pursue every possible option, his family traveled from their home in New York to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Owen enrolled in a CAR T-cell clinical trial at the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. The Laske family temporarily relocated to Michigan while Owen underwent chemotherapy followed by eight CAR T-cell infusions, continuing to travel back and forth for treatment. Later, the family pursued additional radiation and continued exploring clinical trial options, including CAR T-cell therapy in Seattle.

Through every hospital stay, procedure and long day of treatment, Owen’s spirit remained unmistakably his own.

His family often said they strived to be “Owen Brave.” It became their way of facing uncertainty with hope, choosing joy in the hardest moments and believing there could still be beautiful days ahead.

Throughout Owen’s journey, an extraordinary community of family, friends and supporters rallied around him with prayers, encouragement and unwavering love. Their support helped ease the burden of travel and medical expenses, allowing Rebecca and Cory to focus on what mattered most: being together, making memories and giving Owen every opportunity possible.

Owen passed away surrounded by the people he loved most. His siblings slept nearby while Rebecca and Cory held him between them until his final moments, their family together.

In sharing the heartbreaking news, Rebecca wrote words that capture both the enormity of their loss and the extraordinary love Owen brought into their lives:

“Our grief is so deep and wide because Owen’s love could fill oceans. And while we know his love stays with us, we will be forever missing his smiles and laughs, his hugs and snuggles, his curious joy, his sense of humor, his endless brilliance and the chance to make more ‘Owen moment’ memories together and watch him grow.”

Owen deserved the chance to grow up. He deserved more birthdays, more soccer games, more Lego creations, more adventures with Keson, Conley and Rowena, and countless more “Owen moments” with the family who loved him so fiercely.

Like every child diagnosed with DIPG, Owen deserved better treatments, more options and a future.

At ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation, we will continue working toward that future in Owen’s memory and in honor of every child and family affected by this devastating disease. Every research grant awarded, every clinical trial launched and every discovery made brings us closer to a day when families will have more options and children will have more time.

Owen showed so many people what it meant to be brave. His family called it being “Owen Brave.”

Today, being Owen Brave means carrying his love, his joy and his remarkable spirit forward while continuing the fight for a future no child with DIPG is denied.