Kelley Kassay is coping with the death of her youngest child, Mason Clark Thomas, whose brave struggle with neuroblastoma captivated hearts, inspired education and motivated fundraising throughout our community for the past six years—efforts Mason’s mom deem a success.

“Overwhelming amounts of people tell me how he changed their lives. They don’t take their children for granted because of him. Every last one of [Mason’s fans] knows what neuroblastoma is,” Kassay says. “When you can teach 500 people about one thing, you’re doing something in life, you know? In 11 and a half years the child has touched more lives than you or I could.”

The day Mason died, a gentleman he didn’t know decided to write a letter to him. The man followed Mason’s story via the Caring Bridge website for many years.
“He explained that Mason was a true hero,” Kassay says. “And he sent my son a real Medal of Honor. It was very touching. We laid out the medal at his wake and at his celebration of life.”

For the past three weeks, caring supporters have inundated Kassay with stories of how he has inspired them.

“I couldn’t be more proud of him and my daughter (Monica), our family, God, the community.”

Mason “Nae-Nae” Clark Thomas earned his angel wings, at his home in Charlottesville, surrounded by his loving family, on June 20, having handled all of his unfinished business.

Before his departure he managed to name two babies that have not been born yet. “He named his (paternal) uncle’s unborn daughter ‘Skyler’ and my brother and his wife’s child ‘Liam Clark’—Clark is his middle name, too. He may never have children, but he named two,” his mom says.

“He asked his dad to refurbish a Bronco for him—that was done in the nick of time. He also designed a pair of blue and white Nikes on the computer for two hours. He wanted them to be perfect, put his name on the back of them. They came in the day he died so he did get to see his tennis shoes.”

“I think in the death process people do know when they’re dying. As much as it took him to do this, he started kissing everybody, with a big smile on his face. His lungs were filling up, his stomach was distended, his liver was failing—it hurt him to do so.”

When Mason passed on “we were all by his side, we were at home, he was in a hospital bed. His dad was there; my boyfriend was there, his sister, his aunts, and uncles on both sides. It’s probably the hardest thing I ever had to do as a mother, telling my son it’s OK to die,” Kassay says. “But, I knew it was important.”

On the day he earned his wings, Mason raised his arms high in the air and let out his final breath. “I know he has a guardian angel, I know someone came to get my son because he raised his arms up. That gives me peace.”

You can view a touching tribute to Mason and his journey online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh16Xw9n7x4.