AUSTIN, Ark – The parents of Augustus Britton said it’s because of their son’s strength he will continue to bring joy to others battling cancer after his death.
Kayla and Bo Britton, parents to 6-year-old Gus, are grieving the loss of their child who died last Wednesday on Nov. 23rd.
“I think it’s still pretty surreal.” Mrs. Britton said. “Gus is amazing, he is a light, he brought joy to everyone he met. He was goofy.”
She added Gus was diagnosed with Stage 4 High-Risk neuroblastoma on Jun. 14th, 2019. Then on January 6, 2021, Gus relapsed. His cancer had returned to multiple places in his body and over the course of the past month. Mr. Britton said he could tell his son’s health wasn’t doing well.
“Gus had cancer over half of his life.” Mrs. Britton added. “When you’re told your child has a 50-50 shot of making it out of this diagnosis and then he relapses and you’re told he has no chance of making it out.”
Despite being told those odds, Gus’s father says he felt like his son was special.
“Just the strength that he had, I mean daily and weekly,” Mr. Britton said.
His parents said they hope to continue to inspire others battling cancer, as Britton gained over 20,000 followers on Facebook after sharing his journey. They also named him “Augustus the Warrior.”
“I have had countless people reach out to me and say, ‘I have my own medical battle I am going through right now and I can’t tell you how much I have told myself to be strong’,” Mrs. Britton said.
Mrs. Britton said even at the hospital, Gus’s positive energy was always there.
“He would ride around on the IV pole like literally up and down explaining that he was Superman,” she said.
Mrs. Britton said she is aiming to make sure Gus’s spirit lives on.
“He was just a light and I hope to somehow carry that into the future and hopefully other people can still feel that,” Mrs. Britton said.
Beyond sharing his life and memory on Facebook, they said they are still working to do something more to honor Gus’s memory and want to thank the community for their constant support.