(Editor’s Note: This story originally aired on KRTV on April 16, before Wyatt began seven weeks of treatment in Salt Lake City. On Wednesday, Wyatt’s mom Jessica provided MTN Sports with a happy update: “Wyatt had 33 radiation treatments. He did really well during them for the most part. The summer was spent laying low and trying to get back into a normal routine. In the fall, he was able to start school with his classmates without skipping a beat. He also played flag football during the fall, which he was really excited about. He will start playing basketball next week. He is so excited. We headed back to Salt Lake in October for more scans. They all came back clear! We go back down in February for more scans. This will be something we do every four months until he is 18.”)
GREAT FALLS – Seven-year-old Wyatt Grove enjoyed a fun night with his family at the Fusion Fight League Cage Fights event at Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls on Saturday.
Wyatt loves to play sports and is the craziest, fun-loving kid there is, but things came to a halt a few weeks ago. Wyatt started getting really bad headaches, and antibiotics weren’t helping. The Grove family sent him in for an MRI. The results they received, no family should hear — Wyatt had a cancerous tumor in the back of his brain. Wyatt and his mother Jessica were flown on Life Flight to Salt Lake City, where his tumor was removed after eight hours of surgery.
After seven days, he was able to go home. But starting April 23, Wyatt and his mom will leave the rest of the family and move back to Salt Lake for seven weeks for Wyatt’s radiation treatment.
At the Fusion fights on Saturday, all fighters fought for Wyatt’s cause. Multiple fundraisers at the fights went to the Grove family to help them deal with expenses.
“Very humbling, it’s amazing how our community pulls together for something like this, we had no idea,” said Cody Grove, Wyatt’s father. “Just hearing about everybody wanting to help out and help Wyatt has just been, I don’t know how to describe it. Just humbling, very thankful and very blessed that all these people want to help him out.”
“It’s just been really awesome for how many people have either called, texted or contacted us on Facebook just to show their support. Just all the prayers are really appreciated,” said Jessica.
Wyatt’s family got to sit ringside and watch the fights all night, but the biggest moment of all came after the second fight. Not only did Wyatt have his own introduction, but also his face on the big screen and walking off the stage with the ring girls. He and his family were welcomed into the ring with an enormous crowd roar. They thanked everyone for their support and positivity, helping keep them in good spirits during a tough time.
“Our family, we’re really tight. That’s been a real solid foundation for us. Also everybody willing to help out,” Cody said. “We know that it’s going to be really tough. It’s going to be really tough when we move, but being in Salt Lake and seeing a lot of other families going through it too, it’s really tough, but it’s just a positivity that everybody has and their outlook on it. (Wyatt) has a great group of people around him, a lot of good doctors and the support of (Great Falls) and his family. So he’s going to be just fine hopefully, he’ll be good.”
