A former Marine and current police officer undergoing brain cancer treatment welled up as more than 100 friends and colleagues piled into cars to give him a drive-by parade he will never forget. Brett Byler, 31, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer in February, and since then his chemotherapy and radiation treatment has meant that Brett has been unable to have visitors. This lack of friendly interaction, combined with stay-at-home orders in San Diego, California, where Brett lives, made the challenge quite isolating, his friends and family said. And so, on Brett’s birthday, on April 12, his wife Mariah, 27, managed to convince Brett to go for a walk around their neighborhood using his motorized scooter. When he reached a nearby park, Brett was met by a fence that was decorated with birthday balloons - and soon the parade began. Birthday parades have become regular shows of affection as America has been gripped by the coronavirus pandemic – but few have been on the scale of Brett’s. After a fleet of police cars first came around the corner, bringing a tear to Brett’s eye, a further 120 cars then followed. The moment was captured on video by his friends and family – many of whom said they were choked up at how much the parade meant to Brett. Through sharing such videos, his family hope their positivity will bring awareness for Brett’s GoFundMe page.
