One Family



Little did we know what God had planned for our family when our children started attending Tree of Life in 2005. Our boys, Kyle ‘09 and Colin ‘11, were both on the soccer team where the coaches and players welcomed them with open arms. Right away, lifelong friendships started to form. Kaitlyn ‘16 was also welcomed by teachers and staff at the Indianola campus. Everyone was so friendly and accepting of our family!

We came to love Tree of Life like our family. I started working for Tree at the Indianola campus and then later transferred to Northridge in the athletic office. We were very involved with sports, as our children played soccer, baseball, softball and cheer. Our roots at Tree of Life were growing deep. My husband, Bill, joined the board and is still serving today. 

In August 2015 we found out just how deep our relationships were when I was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. It was the beginning of Kaitlyn’s senior year. Her senior class, teachers, and staff rallied around her with so much love and support, they were the hands and feet of Jesus to her and to our family. Later that same year two other classmates of hers would also face a parent diagnosed with cancer. The class of 2016 was a unique class, they bonded together and never grew tired of doing good for their classmates.

The support for Bill and I was so incredible! We had Tree of Life parents and staff make meals, pray, and support us in so many ways. Some of the parents even took me to appointments and stayed with me during treatments. I will never forget our 2015 athletic booster day. All of our fall sports teams wore pink and during the girls’ soccer game halftime they formed a big circle around us, including the opposing team. The teams, coaches, staff, and parents prayed over me, my family, and other cancer survivors. The love and support we received was astonishing and much needed. 

It was a long battle with chemo, surgery, radiation and medications but as of September 15th of this year, I am five years cancer free! Praise God! Looking back, God’s timing for this was perfect. During Kaitlyn’s senior year, she was in sports year-round which gave me a reason to get out of bed and keep going even when I didn’t think I could. I didn’t want cancer to rob me of the joy of watching her and her teammates. The encouragement and love we received from the Tree of Life community was a tremendous blessing. Tree was more than a school, it was a family who went through this journey with us. 

I want to thank you on behalf of myself and my family for being “our family” in our greatest time of need by showing us the love of Jesus.

In His Love, 

Joan Brooks

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