Louisville 9-year-old makes amazing recovery after brain surgery for rare condition

VERSAILLES, Ky. (WDRB) – Returning to a baseball diamond has been a long journey for a Louisville 9-year-old with a rare brain condition.

"He is the strongest kid I know and he's been through so much,” Amanda Betts, Bryson Betts’ mom, said.

As of this weekend, Bryson is back out running the bases.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before he made it back out here,” Betts said.

The journey stated two years ago, when life threw the Betts family a curveball.

"It's every parent's worst nightmare to hear that your child has a brain tumor,” Betts said.

They discovered Bryson, then just seven years old, had a dermoid cyst right above his brain stem. The cysts are formed at birth, but don’t usually form in this location.

"It was more so the location of it that was rare and trying to get to it was very, very difficult,” Betts said.

The cyst kept growing and doctors decided it had to be removed. A little more than two months ago, Bryson went through his second craniotomy in his short life. The brain surgery at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh took eight hours and was successful.

"Now it's just a relief to know that it's gone and he can get back to being a normal kid,” Betts said.

Bryson's normal life means baseball, and a lot of it. He plays on a travel team that is incredibly competitive.

"It's just really fun and you get to be with your whole team and just spend time playing the game,” Bryson said.

Just 64 days after his surgery Bryson took to the field again. His return was way faster than anyone expected.

"His recovery was so quick,” Betts said. “Even his doctors have been pretty amazed by how fast he's recovered."

Bryson says his friends and teammates were the motivation for his hard work and determination.

"It's been a long time since I saw them and I just wanted to see them again,” he said.

Those friends have stood beside the Betts family every step of the way, helping them overcome these obstacles and get back in the game.

"It's been overwhelming, but it's just been awesome to see everybody rally behind him and follow his story and you know, we've just truly appreciated all of that support,” Betts said.