Cody was a very ambitious child and young man. He was somewhat quiet and reserved, but everyone loved him.  He was the type to take "the underdog" under his wing and be a friend or mentor. Cody was a very caring son who would do just about anything in the world for anyone.  He loved the aviation world, which was natural, since his father, grandfather and uncles are/were all aviators. His goal was to become an aviation mechanic and eventually fly.  He did get to fly with his Uncle Charlie in Dallas during the summer of 2013, and again with his Uncle Mike’s friend, just outside of San Antonio.  He was so excited to share the video of his flight. His mom says, “I'll never forget him calling to tell me that he made a perfect landing on the grass runway.”

Cody also excelled in his high school engineering class. He was a favorite of his teacher and often helped out in the class. He was even interviewed by school officials from the district about the engineering program in efforts to put a new curriculum in place. Cody loved to build things of all sorts, and he also loved to weld, a skill he picked up from his father. Cody's last project was a teardrop camper; he designed the entire camper on his engineering program and built the camper from the frame up.  Since Cody’s passing, his dad Steve has been working tirelessly to finish it. It’s almost ready, and his parents know Cody would be proud!

Cody never really complained, but during Thanksgiving week of 2011, he was having really bad headaches. When Cody came home from school, he was taking naps every day. However, when he woke up, his head would hurt, but only when he got up very quickly. By the end of Thanksgiving week, he told his parents that he couldn’t go back to school after Thanksgiving if his head continued to hurt that badly. Cody’s parents then knew that something was wrong, because Cody had always enjoyed school and didn't like to make up missed assignments! After Thanksgiving, Cody’s parents decided to take him to the Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital Emergency Department. The doctors did an MRI, which revealed a large mass in the cerebellum (or posterior fossa area) of Cody's brain.  Cody was scheduled for surgery the following week, at which point he was diagnosed with medulloblastoma. 

After Cody's surgery, he had 36 rounds of proton radiation on his spine and brain. When radiation was finished, he had 6 rounds of chemo. In August 2012, Cody was declared free of cancer.  However, in June 2013, Cody's cancer returned.  His parents then decided to seek treatment in Boston at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Cody began a clinical trial medication for medulloblatoma, which stopped the tumor growth temporarily. However, the tumor began to grow again. Cody began a second clinic trial, but was then scheduled for a second brain surgery at Children’s Hospital in Boston. Cody was then diagnosed with an MYC mutation. At this point, he was given more tests, which revealed tumors all over his spine and brain. Cody quickly went from being okay to being in severe condition overnight, and spent the last 3 weeks of his life at Boston Children’s Hospital surrounded by the family and doctors he loved.

Throughout his treatment, Cody never complained or gave up. He maintained his positive outlook and kept his witty sense of humor during even his final days. He was a pure joy to be around, and was such a positive spirit.

Quotes:

"Today, I live knowing every day is a gift that you should enjoy to the fullest." ~ Cody Peck

"Hoping and praying that one day, when I'm in the medical field, I'll be a part of finding a cure for cancer" ~ Sydney Peck (Cody’s sister)

Information provided by: Lisa Peck, Cody’s Mom
Updated: August 2015

Click here for Cody’s personal webpage.