Former student used his cancer to raise awareness

Jason Brightfield, a former business manager for The Maneater, died on Tuesday after a four-year battle with cancer.

By Allie Blood

Published Sept. 26, 2008

Jason Brightfield used his four-year battle with cancer to help others by sharing his spirit and stories through blogs and charity.

"Life is so amazingly rich and I know I have (cancer) to thank for making that realization more full than it normally would be at my age," he wrote on his blog.

Known by his friends simply as "Pea," Mr. Brightfield died on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008. He was 26.

Mr. Brightfield graduated from MU in 2004 with a bachelor's in journalism. He was The Maneater's business manager from 2003 to 2004.

"He really liked being in charge there," college roommate Patrick Rollins said.

College friend Allison Fennell said he was a positive person throughout his three cancer treatments, and he contributed to cancer support groups.

"He always liked having something to do," Fennell said. "In a funny way cancer gave him an opportunity to be part of a community, a special community, and make a difference."

In order to keep up with his friends and family, he posted regularly on several blogs.

"He would write small novels for friends and family so they could keep up with his drugs or his treatment and would always include something positive," Rollins said. "It was really awesome and he was always totally honest."

Rollins said Mr. Brightfield was always planning something for the future, be it trips to visit friends in Chicago or plans for Christmas the following year.

"He focused on beating it by having something to look forward to," Rollins said.

Rollins also said that despite Mr. Brightfield's disciplined tendencies, he still had a lot of fun.

"Whenever he would get drunk, he would loosen up and he would sing or play country music," Rollins said.

Mr. Brightfield was diagnosed with cancer in May 2004, shortly after his final day of college. Through the next four years, he battled three separate bouts of cancer, which appeared in his brain, bones and spine. Through his blog, he championed several cancer aid organizations such as Planet Cancer, a resource community for young adults with cancer.

Rollins said the best thing about Mr. Brightfield's blogs is they will be in Internet archives forever.

"Maybe one day it will help someone," Rollins said.

His Web site, TeamJason.org, accepted donations to help defray the costs of treatment and help him to focus on recovery rather than the financial burden he faced.

Mr. Brightfield met Fennell and Rollins their freshman year in Smith residence hall in one of the journalism freshman interest groups.

"We were like the experiment gone right," Fennell said.

She said she still keeps in close contact with all her friends from her FIG, and she recalled the night they were having an end-of-classes barbeque when Mr. Brightfield found out he was sick.

"His cousin picked him up and took him to the emergency room, the next day we found out it was a tumor, and the next day that it was cancer," Fennell said.

Farnell said Mr. Brightfield was health-conscious throughout college, regimenting his diet and vitamin intake. She said she and other friends were surprised at his diagnosis.

"If he's going to get cancer three freaking times, what chance do we have?" Fennell said. "He pulled the joker. We dwell on that sometimes, because it seems like a crapshoot."

She said though she is happy Mr. Brightfield won't experience more pain, she will miss him.

"I wanted him to be there when our friends got married, go through milestones," she said. "We'll be OK day to day, because we'll carry him wherever we go, but those are going to be the hardest times."

Mr. Brightfield's funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Central Reform Congregation in the Central West End in St. Louis.