Skye Bostwick

Sharon Bostwick had faced difficult moments before.

A retired military intelligence officer who served 23 years in the Army National Guard, including time in Afghanistan, she understood pressure, uncertainty, and what it meant to stay calm in the face of the unknown. She had spent a lifetime learning how to respond when everything was on the line.

But nothing could have prepared her for what her daughter was about to face.

In November 2024, Sharon’s daughter, Skye, was living her life as a 20-year-old college student at the Cleveland Institute of Art, working toward a major in medical science illustration. She began experiencing lingering headaches accompanied by what she described as a “whooshing” sound in her ears. Nothing that immediately seemed life threatening, but enough to send her to the doctor. Then came the call.

Sharon was attending her first meeting with the Women’s Army Corps Veterans Association, Chapter 67 Detroit, an organization with roots tracing back to the historic “Six Triple Eight” (the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-black, all-female battalion in World War II), when her phone rang. It was Skye. Her MRI results were back, and she had been told to go straight to the emergency room. In that moment, everything shifted.

But Sharon didn’t panic. Surrounded by her sister soldiers, she was grounded in the same strength and composure that had carried her through years of service. They helped her stay focused on what mattered most: getting to her daughter as quickly and safely as possible.

Within hours, Sharon and her husband, Peter, were on their way to the Cleveland Clinic, unsure of what they would find, but sensing everything was about to change. It did.

After a long wait, a doctor delivered the news: Skye had diffuse midline glioma (DMG), an aggressive and inoperable brain tumor located in the thalamus. The day unfolded in a blur of scans, conversations, and decisions that no family is ever prepared to make. Sharon asked questions, studied the MRI, and tried to absorb what she was seeing. She didn’t allow herself to break down — not then. Her daughter was sitting right beside her.

Skye took it all in with remarkable calm.

Skye started reading at just 4 years old and has been an avid reader ever since. That love of reading led to a gift for writing, including a short story she wrote in second grade called “My Friend.” She continued to amaze her parents with her creativity, later performing a recital solo of “God Help the Outcast.” She is a kind, generous, and deeply thoughtful young woman, someone who so many have come to know, love, and trust. Now, she’s facing a fight no one should have to endure.

Today, Sharon and Peter are back home in Michigan, where Skye is receiving care at the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor. Surrounded by a compassionate care team, they are navigating each step of this journey together, one decision, one moment at a time.

In the months that followed her diagnosis, Skye underwent radiation and began treatment with ONC201, now known as Modeyso™. There have been difficult moments, including tumor progression and loss of function on her left side, changes that came quickly and were deeply unsettling. But Skye continues to push forward with determination, never wanting to be treated differently and never asking for sympathy. Instead, she focuses on living her life.

She even gave her tumor the name “Rumspackle,” refusing to let it define her.

Through it all, Sharon has stood by her side, not as a soldier this time, but as a mother navigating a different kind of battlefield. One filled with uncertainty, questions, decisions, and the quiet strength it takes to keep going.

Along the way, the family has also found support through the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation’s My DIPG Navigator program, connecting them with experienced nurse navigators who help guide families through the complexity of this disease, ensuring they are not alone in the process.

And through it all, Skye continues to lead the way. Because even in the hardest battles, there is still joy, still purpose, and still a reason to keep moving forward.

Some of Skye’s Artwork

Click here to follow Skye’s artwork on Instagram.