About Me
My Family
I am the wife to Andy Brookover and mom to 3 amazing boys...Carson, Colby, and Cooper. I am blessed beyond measure and love my people more than they even know. We aren't perfect...in fact, it can be pretty messy sometimes. But, at the end of the day I pray that each of them know just how deeply within my heart I treasure them. A few things we all enjoy are watching college football, eating Andy's cooking, bowling, going to the beach, and being outdoors. I am definitely outnumbered. We have a male cockapoo named Bama too! He drives us a little crazy, but we love him!
My Storms
Death is a part of life. At some point everyone will experience the death of someone they love. My biggest, life-changing "storms" were the loss of my mom to cancer as a young girl and the loss of my husband of almost 15 years and father to my 3 boys, to a sudden cardiac arrest.
Another "storm" was when my youngest son, Cooper, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer at 8 weeks old. It was from that experience that my late husband and I started a non-profit called "Cooper Trooper Foundation" to give extra support to siblings of children with cancer and provide research funding for childhood cancer. Thankfully, Cooper is a healthy 15 year old now, but I will never forget the fears and uncertainties that his diagnosis brought. It changed me forever.
A final "storm" that was difficult was being a single mom to my boys for 8 years after they lost their father. It was challenging, lonely, and there were many times I just didn't think I could do it anymore.
Out of all of these "Life Storms," I have grieved and grown. We all have "storms." It's what we learn from them and do next that transforms the most painful experience into something hopeful.
My Sunsets
There is something quite extraordinary about the beauty of a sunset after a storm. The clouds that once held the rain, thunder, and lightning produce colors that reflect and give way to a most glorious sunset. It's funny to think how a storm so disruptive, can also be responsible for something so captivating to admire and behold.
Such is life. Often the very tumultous circumstances that disrupt us, cause us to fear, and send us into a dark and looming place, are the same circumstances that create something beautiful over time.
It's often hard to see in a moment when the storm is crashing down, but there is always purpose and perspective to gain. Something that causes us to change and to grow, if we will let it. It may take time, but there is beauty on the horizon. Wait for it. It will happen.
Losing my mom as a child propelled me to obtain a Master's degree in counseling. My focus and passion were on helping bereaved children because of my own experience. Then, later in life, I ended up being the mother to 3 boys who experienced an enormous grief when their father died unexpectedly. I felt like life came full circle. The very pain I experienced as a child gave way to being more equipped as a mom to help my own children walk through it.
My Passion
After Cooper was diagnosed with cancer we realized the tremendous need for more focus and support for the siblings of a child with cancer. Cooper's two older brothers were often in the "shadows" and there weren't a lot of resources to help us explain what was going on to them. There certainly were not many organizations to recognize the incredible courage siblings have during this time. Childhood cancer impacts the entire family, and parents are often torn between the care and attention that must suddenly go to their child with cancer and continuing to give the same level of support to their other children. This is why we started Cooper Trooper Foundation. Our hope is to help stand in that gap, by reminding the siblings that they are seen and important. We provide Sibling Courage Kits to those brothers and sisters at no cost to the family. At a time when the child with cancer receives so many gifts, we mail a package just for the sibling, with gifts specially designed to support and encourage them. You can find out more at coopertrooper.org.
I wrote this book, Courage From Koko's Pouch, to go along with a stuffed Koala in our younger children's Courage Kits. My hope is that it will act as a tool for parents to help their other children understand and express the many emotions that they are experiencing as a sibling.