CNN Correspondent Reveals 2-Year-Old Son Died From Brain Cancer

Rene Marsh is mourning the death of her 2-year-old son. The CNN correspondent announced Thursday that her son Blake has died after a battle with pediatric brain cancer. Marsh shared the devastating news in an emotional Instagram post, writing that she has “lost all the dreams and hopes that a mom has for a son.”

Marsh shared news of her son’s passing with a gallery of images of the toddler who was diagnosed with brain cancer in December 2019. Those images showed Blake, whom Marsh affectionately referred to as “Blakey,” dressed as a superhero, riding in a toy car, and held in his mother’s arms. Reflecting on her son’s life, Marsh said in his “25 months on earth” he taught her “how much strength I had stored up in reserve that I didn’t know I had. You taught me endurance. You taught me a depth of love I have never experienced.” She said her son “inspired me to keep going when I wanted to give up” and helped her “prioritize what is truly important in this life.”

Marsh went on to write that she is “forever changed because of you, my son” and said she felt “blessed and honored” to be Blake’s mother. Writing, “I wish we had more time together but I’m grateful for the time we had,” Marsh went on to reflect on her son’s life, sharing that he “mastered the ability to bring laughter and happiness into whatever room” he was in and his “party tricks included telling me ‘no,’ no matter what question I asked, hugging and kissing on demand and your dance moves were top notch.” She added that “the good times we shared are forever in my heart” and remembered how her son “loved being outside” and “loved cruising the neighborhood in your drop top electric car, with the music on as you tried so hard to snap your fingers.” She said Blake’s favorite piece of classical music “was Mozart’s Serenade no. 13.”

“I didn’t just lose you Blakey, I lost all my dreams and hopes that a mom has for her son. I lost my motherhood and I’m mourning it all,” she continued. “Mommy loves you and I look forward to holding and kissing you when we meet again.”

Marsh added that she is “dedicated to fighting pediatric cancer for the rest of my life” and will “do it not just to spare other parents from this unbearable pain but I will do it to forever honor you, Blake.” She said her son’s life “was not in vain my sweet angel.” After sharing news of his passing, she took to Twitter with a message of thanks “to all the doctors and nurses at [Johns Hopkins] who cared for and loved Blake over the past year and a half.” Marsh welcomed Blake, her first child, with husband Kedric Payne in March 2019.