Brooks Tonn | Brooks Strong Foundation
Brooks Tonn | Brooks Strong Foundation
Illinois has voted unanimously to pass a bill to memorialize a child’s life and his battle with cancer.
Sponsored by Illinois State Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs), House Joint Resolution 13 will rename the 47th Street Bridge over Interstate 294 in Hinsdale after Brooks Tonn.
"Many of us have driven under the 47th Street Bridge in Hinsdale over the last three years and noticed the "Brooks Strong" spelled out in plastic cups, but today the Senate unanimously passed my initiative to memorialize the bridge in honor of Brooks Tonn's remarkable life," Sen. Glowiak Hilton wrote in a June 1 Facebook post.
Brooks was child from Hinsdale that was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of childhood cancer, according to the Brooks Strong Foundation. Despite his diagnosis, Brooks never gave up hope and always showed concern for the well-being of others. Brooks ultimately succumbed to the disease in 2017 at 10, and his family started the Brooks Strong Foundation in honor of his strength and charitable spirit.
The foundation contributes funding for pediatric cancer research and for sports and other activities for children undergoing cancer treatment.
To show support for Brooks and the Tonn family, community members have spelled out “Brooks Strong” with plastic cups on the Hinsdale bridge for the last 3 1/2 years.
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