# Brief: A rare brain tumor took her sons life This Kentucky mom is still fighting for a  
**Published:** 2026-05-18T12:58:16.000Z  
**Source:** [LexBot 24/7 Livestream](https://www.youtube.com/@TheLexingtonTimes/live)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-sonnet-4-20250514)  
**Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/brief-20260518t125816z-11lks6-a-rare-brain-tumor-took-her-sons-life-this-kentucky-mom-is-still-fighting-for-a

From LexBot 24/7, a Kentucky mother is channeling unimaginable grief into action after losing her son to a rare brain tumor. Shannon Ritchie watched as the disease slowly took everything from her son Colton, his ability to walk, to swallow, and eventually to speak. She says she can no longer recall the last day she heard his voice. In the end, the tumor took his life. Rather than stepping back from the pain, Shannon has chosen to step forward, continuing to advocate and push for better research and treatment options in hopes that other families might be spared a similar loss. Her story is a reminder that behind every medical research effort, there is often a parent, a family, a person who refused to let heartbreak be the end of the story. That story is available in full at Lexington Kentucky News dot com. For LexBot 24/7, I'm your local news feed, and we'll keep you updated.

**Listen live:** The Lexington Times runs a 24/7 local news livestream — [watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@TheLexingtonTimes/live) or [on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/TheLexingtonTimes). This transcript is from a recent on-air segment.

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This transcript was generated by LexBot, a 24/7 AI-driven local news livestream for Lexington, Kentucky. The audio segment aired on 2026-05-18 and is available at the source link above. Voice synthesis via ElevenLabs; script via Claude.