| Sources |
- [S23] Atchley Funeral Home, (http://www.atchleyfuneralhome.com/), 27 Apr 2001.
James Steven "Steve" Maples obituary
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 12 Jan 2013.
Rootin’ for Regen
Family, friends, strangers rally around Pi Beta Phi student
GAIL CRUTCHFIELD
Lynn Stanger
Regen Morris smiles at his mother, Tishia Morris, on Thursday at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. Regen is battling anaplastic astrocytoma, a form of brain cancer rare for someone his age.
Lynn Stanger
Daniel and Tishia Morris and their youngest son Regan, on his 12th birthday.
Submitted
A photo posted on Facebook captures the moment after Regen kissed his mother on the cheek.
Submitted
A photo posted on Facebook shows Regen Morris (center) with his older brothers Walker and Braeden.
—
A child saying the word “Mom” or kissing her on the cheek may seem like normal, everyday occurrences, but those are not things the parents of Regen Morris are taking for granted these days.
Tishia and Daniel Morris of Sevierville are grateful for each milestone — no matter how small — their youngest son, 12, has made since an encroaching illness made its presence known.
A rare form of brain cancer has turned an active child into one who can only answer yes or no questions by blinking.
But it hasn’t take the essence of the sweet, happy, artistic, faithful and determined child his family and friends have come to know.
Regen, who celebrated his 12th birthday on Thursday during his second day at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, also spent Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s in a hospital bed.
His aunt Joy Maples, sister of Tishia Daniels, said it was Regen’s basketball coach at Pi Beta Phi who in mid-October first noticed something was not quite right with the sixth-grader. The boy, who was the top scorer for the team last season, didn’t seem to be giving it his all. When his father asked what was wrong, Regen told him his right leg felt funny.
Figuring it was something simple like tendinitis, Regen started wearing a brace on his leg and kept playing. It wasn’t long, however, before his family noticed Regen seemed to be dragging his right foot a little. Then his right arm became affected, drawing up and becoming difficult to use. At a family dinner, Regen’s speech started to slur and later he asked his aunt to help him with a report he was writing for school.
“He brought me his paper and he said, ‘Joy, can I tell you what to write and you write? I can’t make my hand know what my brain’s thinking,’” Maples recalled. “I thought he’d had a stroke.”
Maples, who was keeping Regen and his brothers Walker and Braeden overnight while their parents were away for a belated anniversary celebration, called her sister and told her they needed to come back. Maples took Regen to meet his parents at the emergency room at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital that next morning, Nov. 5.
“And when he was going into the hospital he said, ‘Honey, I think something is really, really wrong with me,’” Maples recalled Regen saying.
Something was wrong, but it took Regen losing the ability to move his limbs or even talk, two months of tests and three hospitals to determine that he was suffering from anaplastic astrocytoma, a rare form of brain cancer. What were at first diagnosed as two lesions on either side of his brain were eventually determined to be signs of the Stage 3 cancer that has been found in three places in his brain.
Even more rare is the disease’s appearance in a child; it is most commonly diagnosed in men 30-50, Maples said.
As the disease limited Regen’s motor skills and stole his voice, Maples said her nephew taught himself the alphabet for sign language while he still had use of his left hand. “He downloaded an app and he made us learn, ’cause he was like, if this is how I have to communicate then you’re going to learn it so I can talk to you all,” Maples said.
Regen was transferred from Children’s in Knoxville to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, to start treatment for acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), which is what he had first been diagnosed with. But weeks passed without any improvements.
“He’s had so many MRIs, spinal taps and CT scans,” Maples said. The Atlanta hospital decided Regen didn’t have ADEM, but couldn’t figure it out. They ruled out cancer and other conditions at first and started a process of elimination.
Things came to a head on Christmas Eve when Regen became sick, vomiting every 10 minutes, Maples said. Christmas night, the physicians ordered another CT scan and found that the two lesions that had started out on either side of his brain were now touching. A brain biopsy was scheduled for two days later and that’s when word came that Regen had brain cancer, with malignant tumors found in three spots.
“The medical prognosis is not positive by any means for this cancer in Stage 3,” Maples said. But that’s not something the family is focusing on. They are putting their faith in a higher power.
“We’re very aware of the reality that Regen has the worst brain cancer that you can have, but Regen is a warrior,” Maples said.
None of this has changed Regen from the happy boy he’s always been.
“He still smiles,” Maples said. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s in some pain. He experiences very bad muscle spasms. It takes two or three people to pull him out (of the spasm). You’ve got to break the spasm or he’s just lying there in pain for hours and hours.”
He has full cognitive function. He expresses happiness when he recognizes a visitor. He does get frustrated trying to talk.
He loves having people and loved ones around. On days that his brothers or his girlfriend Kennedy Smith have visited, he’s not suffered spasms.
“It makes the difference between really bad days and really good days for him,” Maples said.
Friends and family have all made trips to see him.
“When his brothers are there, that smile is there all the time,” Maples said, despite the pain he is experiencing. “We’re amazed at how he smiles and keeps so positive about it.”
Maples began a Facebook group to help Regen see how many supporters he has in his fight, to keep loved ones informed and to seek prayers.
“I wanted to be able to read Regen what everybody was wishing for him, because he needs to feel that,” Maples said.
The group has grown to include more than 26,000 members and they are sought out as prayer warriors when the family sends out requests. One request was for Regen to be able to speak. The day after that request, he said the word “Mom.”
“It was amazing,” Maples said. “It was a very beautiful moment.”
Another prayer was answered with Regen was able to kiss Tishia on the cheek. “She needed that and he needed that,” Maples said.
“God’s been very gracious in letting people witness some very powerful moments,” Maples said.
The family is looking ahead with positive thoughts. The last few days have been spent with doctors determining their next course of action. Radiation is part of it. Beyond that they’re not sure, but their faith and the support of those who have joined the group will provide a foundation.
“Every time we put a specific prayer — and we save those for things we really want to happen for Regen — every one of them happens,” Maples said. She said she’d love to put a request for prayers that God would heal Regen that very day, but doesn’t think it’s the time to ask for immediate healing.
“Little steps to big is a miracle,” she said. “We just think when our prayers meet God’s will, that’s when miracles happen.”
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 2 Feb 2013.
Rootin' for Regen continues to gather incredible support
ROBBIE HARGETT
Regen Morris, a 12-year-old Pi Beta Phi Elementary School student who has been in hospitals since Nov. 5, 2012, after being diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer called anaplastic astrocytoma, has gained unprecedented support during a very uncertain time in his and his family's life.
The support has flown under the "Rootin' for Regen" slogan, the decal for the website and Facebook page created for Regen. The slogan is now seen all across the county on banners, T-shirts, bracelets and more, and the Facebook group has almost 33,000 followers. Fundraisers have been organized since December to raise money for the family, with businesses, restaurants and individuals alike coming to the fore to help out a child in need.
"We're basically just trying to help the family out while they're going through hard times and difficult situations," said Gatlinburg Police Department (GPD) Lieutenant Terri Stines, who organized a spaghetti dinner and silent auction fundraiser along with GPD Officer Ronnie France, independent of the police department. "This is just a bunch of friends who have organized it together. The son goes to Pi Beta Phi and the dad is a teacher there, so we felt it was something the community could come together to assist them with."
The dinner and auction will be held Feb. 6 from 4-8 p.m. at the Calhoun's Banquet and Catering hall in Gatlinburg. Tickets are $5, but parking is free. All proceeds will go towards Regen and his family.
Julie Rhines, general manager with Smoky Mountain Brewery in Gatlinburg, said the spaghetti dinner fundraiser has already received a lot of positive feedback.
"We just started selling tickets Wednesday and only had 500 printed, but I think we may need to get some more, which is a great thing," Rhines said.
Another upcoming fundraiser, to be held Feb. 22 at the River Plantation Conference Center in Sevierville, puts a spin on the familiar slogan.
Dancin' for Regen, as the name suggests, will feature music and dancing, as well as food and games for kids, all for a $10 donation at the door. Spearheaded by couple Ron Crivellone and Ellen Coe, the idea for the event began when they attended a different Rootin' for Regen fundraiser.
"We were at the Rootin' for Regen at Chick-fil-A and we wanted to continue support," Coe said. "I figured this is what we could do to step up to the plate and help him and his family."
Crivellone, a full-time DJ, will be providing the musical entertainment.
"He loves making people happy and he thought this was a great idea too," Coe said of her fiancée. "It's just going to be a fun, family atmosphere."
Coe said they're currently looking for a photo booth for the fundraiser, so they can put together an instant scrapbook for Regen. But if they don't find one, they've still booked photographer Rich Blessings so they can create a scrapbook later, "so he'll always have this memory."
Regen has been receiving other pictures, and on Facebook, some people have posted pictures of themselves holding Rootin' for Regen signs. But these aren't just folks from the community; some of these supporters are well-known celebrities.
Raven Goodwin of Disney Channel's "Good Luck Charlie" and country music artist Miranda Lambert both posed for pictures holding Rootin' for Regen signs. Lambert also sent an autograph and has put up a guitar for auction, with proceeds going to Regen.
Members of the ESPN Gameday Crew, Jay Bilas, Reece Davis and Digger Phelps, were all photographed holding Rootin' for Regen signs, as well as members of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team, Regen's favorite.
Even Jay Bush and Duke, of Bush Brothers and Company bean commercial fame, are rooting for Regen.
"I don't know who could top that in Regen's eyes," said Joy Maples, Regen's aunt, of Jay Bush and Duke's picture. "He loves that dog. He was smiling so big."
Maples said Regen is currently finishing up his third week of treatment at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, and the signs are optimistic.
"Each day he is getting a little stronger and there's a little more movement and effort from him," Maples said. "The doctors and family are very encouraged. There's definitely progress with his mobility and we're really happy about that."
Maples said they won't know how well the treatments are working until they perform some scans on him after week four, but in the meantime, Regen is still receiving encouragement from all over the world.
"It's crazy; there are people all over, people from Africa (sending him things)," Maples said. "We have e-mails and have been contacted by people from different countries. It's awesome; it's insane."
She said members of the Miami Heat organization, Brad Paisley and Kenny Chesney, to name a few, have sent him letters of encouragement. He's also received letters from children in an African village, as well as letters from people who claim that Regen's story has brought them closer to God or given them peace and encouragement in their own lives.
"That is what is keeping our family going right now, what everyone is doing," Maples said.
Maples said the support from the community and elsewhere "has been wonderful," but she and the family are still holding out for one more gift.
"We're ready for Regen to be better," she said.
rhargett@themountainpress.com
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 10 Apr 2013.
Regen Morris due back home Friday
Fans, friends asked to line streets to welcome him
STAN VOIT
Regen Morris is coming home.
Five months after he first entered the hospital for treatment of brain cancer and became a community cause, the 12-year-old will be returning home on Friday.
He is riding in a Sevier County ambulance from St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis and should be getting to Sevierville around 6 p.m., his aunt, Joy Maples, said Wednesday.
"We are so thankful," Maples said. "The prayers have been working. We need people to keep praying big."
Regen's radiation/chemo treatments have shrunk his tumors "significantly," Maples said. He will continue to get chemo treatments both at home administered by his mother and in a Knoxville hospital. He will return to St. Jude in about seven weeks.
Regen and his family are hoping his friends and fans will line the streets to welcome him home. The ambulance will travel down Highway 66 then go east on Dolly Parton Parkway to the family's home.
"This is a way for all his fans and those who pray for him to show their support," Maples said.
Regen's mother has been with him since he entered the hospital last November and has been with him at St. Jude since he was admitted in early January.
"She doesn't realize how much community support there has been because she hasn't been around to see it," Maples said.
Those who line the streets are asked to wear green — Regen's favorite color.
"This will do them a world of good to see such support," Maples said.
Maples says the family is unsure if Regen is home for good. The scans done on his brain after treatment did show the tumors had shrunk, but his treatments will go on. He can have no more radiation, so chemotherapy is the only option.
Regen was a student at Pi Beta Phi School in Gatlinburg and member of the Beta Club, tennis team, and leading scorer for his middle school basketball team when he began to feel ill last fall. He was diagnosed with Anaplastic Astrocytoma and has three malignant tumors.
He is the youngest son of Dan And Tishia Morris. He has two older brothers, Walker and Braeden.
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 13 May 2013.
Event raises money for Regen Morris family
Donors pledge for soccer goals, head shaves
Jennifer Adkins of A Glamourous Hair Design in Pigeon Forge shaves Miguel Uribarri, U.S. Coast Guard.
Jill Frye
SEVIERVILLE —
A group of military men, and one woman, gathered at the Walters State Community College soccer field on Saturday for a head shave. Meanwhile, youth soccer teams competed on the field.
The Rootin' for Regen kick-'n-shave was a fundraiser for 12-year-old Regen Morris, who was diagnosed with brain cancer last November. The community has displayed an outpouring of love and support for Regen, lining the streets of Dolly Parton Parkway for his return home from St. Jude's Hospital in Memphis earlier this month.
At Saturday's event, shaving participants pledged money for their shaves. Other donors pledged for soccer goals scored.
For those seeking an alternative way to support Regen, Sevier County resident Lisa Spurling was also present, offering feathers and hairbows in Regan's favorite color, green.
Event coordinator and long-time family friend Renee Howard said, "We wanted to put together a fundraiser that is fun and lighthearted. Regen loves soccer, and we wanted a kid-friendly atmosphere that would put a smile on his face and offer support."
During the fundraiser, American Youth Soccer Organization Regional Commissoner Jeremy Hurst and Assistant Regional Commissioner Nisha Hurst presented Regen's father, Dan, with a green soccer jersey. "He'll be back out here playing soon," Jeremy said.
Regen is undergoing extensive treatment. Every 14 days, he travels to Johnson City, St. Jude's affiliate location, for chemotherapy. In addition, he has in-home therapy sessions three times a week.
He will return to St. Jude's in Memphis June 3 for MRI scans and a checkup.
"Regan has been home three weeks, and he seems very happy," Dan Morris said. "He's much more relaxed now that he is home."
"I have two boys that are 9 and 4," said Miguel Uribarri, a member of the U.S. Coast Guard who had his head shaved at the fundraiser. "I can only begin to imagine what the family is going through. We need to support them any way we can."
"The whole community has really pulled together," Nisha Hurst said. "It's not something we do because we have to. It's something we do because we want to."
Howard envisions this year's fundraiser expanding. "Next year we're going to get other sports teams invoved and make it a community-wide event to benefit kids facing terminal illnesses such as cancer," she said.
jfrye@themountainpress.com
- [S23] Atchley Funeral Home, (http://www.atchleyfuneralhome.com/), 25 Dec 2013.
January 10, 2001 - December 25, 2013
Resided in Sevierville, TN
Elijah Regen Morris, age 12 of Sevierville, the youngest son of Dan and Tishia Morris, passed away peacefully early Christmas morning, in the arms of his loving mother, with his family gathered around his bed, thus ending his year-long battle with brain cancer. Despite losing all of his physical abilities, he undoubtedly completed his life's work by drawing untold numbers of people closer to God during his difficult journey. He will be remembered as a gentle, loving, and kind boy with a servant's heart. He sought to first help other people, and always tried to make others happy. As a student at Pi Beta Phi Elementary School in Gatlinburg, his interests and accomplishments were many and varied. He was an Honor Roll student and a member of the National Junior Beta Club. He was a very creative and talented artist, winning several art awards. As an athlete, he participated in tennis, soccer, baseball, and his greatest love –basketball – during which ended up being his final season as a fifth grader, he was named Most Valuable Player, hitting the game winning shot to secure the county championship. He also loved to snow ski, hike, and play with his brothers, cousins, and many friends. He was a member of First Baptist Church, Sevierville, as well as participating in the youth program of First Baptist Church, Gatlinburg.
A beloved son and brother, he was preceded in death by his older brother, James Cullen Morris, and grandfather, James Steven Maples.
Survivors:
Parents: Dan and Tishia Maples Morris
Brothers: Walker and Braeden Morris
Maternal grandmother: Linda Maples
Paternal grandparents: Ed and Esther Morris
Aunts and Uncles: Tara Maples Torrence and husband Cliff, Joy Maples, Janel Maples Buice and husband Nathan, and Whitney Maples, Gene Atchley and wife Helen, Laura Knight, Lyn Maples and wife Loretta, David Morris and wife Dana, Joy Morris Ghent and husband Shawn, Ruth Parham and husband Troy, Charles Ramirez, and Charlotte McGhee
He will additionally be sadly missed by many special cousins and extended family members.
The family wishes to express their heartfelt gratitude to all who helped make this challenging year a little easier.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the family of Preston Gentry, another student at Pi Beta Phi Elementary who is battling childhood leukemia, at 737 Waterfall View Lane, Sevierville, TN 37876.
The family will receive friends 2-5 PM Saturday followed by a funeral service at 6 PM at First Baptist Church, Sevierville with Rev. Dan Spencer and Rev. Bryon W. Fortner officiating. A private family burial will occur. Arrangements by Atchley Funeral Home, Sevierville. (www.atchleyfuneralhome.com)
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 26 Dec 2013.
Morris remembered as ‘sweet kid’
Thousands were ‘Rootin’ for Regen’
JEFF FARRELL
Lynn Stanger
Regen Morris smiles at his mother, Tishia Morris, last January at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis as Regen battled anaplastic astrocytoma, a form of brain cancer rare for someone his age.
Facebook: Rootin' For Regen Page
Regen Morris
Jason Davis/The Mountain Press
Many in the community, from businesses to basketball teams (here the Gatlinburg-Pittman High School boys team), rallied around Regen Morris, hoping and praying for the best.
GATLINBURG —
Elijah Regen Morris, the 12-year-old Pi Beta Phi Elementary School student whose battle with brain cancer made him a familiar name throughout many East Tennessee communities, ended that battle on Christmas Day.
Morris’ cancer was discovered last year. Shortly after that, his family set up a Facebook page called Rootin’ For Regen, asking for prayers and support for the stricken child. They asked followers to follow the advice of 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Bible: Pray without Ceasing. As of Thursday afternoon, that page had 33,702 members.
After sharing stories of their battle and of her sons’ grace in facing the disease over the past year, his mother announced his death to the online community.
“Regen’s earthly suffering ended at 3:40 a.m. He is celebrating Jesus’ birthday - with Jesus,” Tishia Maples Morris wrote Wednesday.
“He passed very peacefully and quietly in the arms of his loving family ... My heart is broken but Regen is whole, healthy and happy.”
Members were still posting their prayers and thoughts about Regen Thursday.
“You don’t know me, but I am one of many that never got to meet your precious son Regen or family,” one poster said. “I am sitting here full of compassion for your family and can’t stop crying.”
His story touched thousands online, and it struck a cord in Sevier County, where signs bearing the “Rootin’ For Regen” slogan began appearing at businesses throughout the community. Last week, local nonprofit ministry Live-It announced it was starting a project to build an addition to the family home that would let them move his hospital bed and medical equipment into the house.
Friends and family spoke often of the grace and determination he exhibited, even as his illness robbed him of the use of limbs and even the ability to speak.
“When his brothers are there, that smile is there all the time,” said his aunt, Joy Maples, during an interview in January. “We’re amazed at how he smiles and keeps so positive about it.”
He was a member of First Baptist Sevierville, and the pastor there, Dan Spencer, recalled him as an athlete and a good student.
“Regen was a very bright young man, a good athlete. The term I’ve heard a lot of people use to describe him is he was just a sweet kid,” Spencer said.
He said he could understand how Morris and his family had become an inspiration to so many, and was touched by how people rallied around them.
“Being relatively new to Sevier county it really told me something about this community,” he said. “There’s something special about the folks who live here who they care about their neighbors and other people in the community. That’s one thing I learned but It think it said even more about the Morris family. People were inspired by not just the tragedy of a young life being cut short or having to suffer that illness but the way they just handled it with grace and showed a lot of faith...
“Throughout the past year the family has just been rock steady.”
It was their faith, he said, that helped carry the family through their struggle. On one Sunday, instead of a typical sermon he interviewed Morris’ father, Dan, in front of the congregation.
“I was preaching out of the book of Job and he could really identify with that story,” Spencer said. “It was great because it was so honest. He didn’t pretend to have all the answers. He said, ‘We don’t know what’s going to happen at this point but we’re just trusting that God knows.”
Services for Morris are planned for this weekend. The family will receive friends from 2-5 p.m. Saturday followed by a funeral service at 6 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Sevierville, with the Spencer and the Rev. Bryon W. Fortner officiating.
n jfarrell@themountainpress.com
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Groom's Name Bride's First Name Bride's Maiden Name County Date of Marriage File #
MORRIS DANIEL E TISHIA E MAPLES SEVIER 08-14-1993 52157
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
144152 DANIEL EDWIN MORRIS TISHIA ELLEN MAPLES
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