Boy with inoperable tumor joining C-130 crew for flyover

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – On Tuesday the C-130 Crews flying over Blue Park right before the Aggie Baseball team’s matchup against the Air Force will have some special guests.

The crews will be joined by 10-year-old Mark Massey, who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor at the beginning of the year, and his dad Bryan Massey. Mark had started having headaches in January which led to the tumors discovery. Then in February Mark began radiation treatment in hopes of shrinking the tumor or haunting its growth to allow for clinical trials. The treatments caused Mark to miss school which led to his teacher, Melissa Pontiff, and a coworker of hers to do some homebound services to help keep him caught up.

One day during a tutoring session Pontiff asked Mark if there was anything he dreamed of doing, and what came out was being in a military flyover. As soon as she heard Mark say that she spoke to her husband, who was an active-duty Air Force lieutenant colonel and pilot at the time. He then connected her with the C-130 crews which will be in Tuesday’s flyover.

“There were so many people involved with trying to push it up that it just felt like God’s favor was all over it, so even though we were told it was highly unlikely, don’t get your hopes up, it still got granted, so we feel incredibly blessed that he even gets this opportunity because civilians don’t typically this opportunity,” Pontiff said.

Mark’s Dad Bryan said Mark has always been into planes and flying.

“It’s a really, really neat experience for Mark to be able to, I mean a once in a lifetime experience for him to be able to go up in the plane and a lot of strings were pulled to make this happen and it’s just unbelievable,” Bryan Massey said.

On Monday the Masseys saw the C-130 planes up close at Easterwood Airport. From the outside to the inside, Mark even got the chance to sit in the pilot seat.

“I mean everybody was just so, so giving, so nice, Mark got a flight suit that they gifted to him and a medal from the baseball team. Tomorrow we’re just excited to get on the plane and go to the game,” Bryan Massey said.

For Pontiff, she said it means a lot as Mark’s teacher to see him getting a chance to experience his dream.

“As a teacher, we do tedious day-in and day-out stuff with teaching and getting ready for tests and doing the things that we need to do, so to take a step outside of our job in the classroom to be able to bless a student who has an unfair situation it means a lot,” Pontiff said.

Mark is on hiatus from the radiation treatment and they’ll learn soon if it’s helped, Bryan Massey said.

“To Mark’s credit, he is a fighter, he’s fought through it. Him and my wife drove every day for six weeks to Houston for radiation treatments. It’s been sleepless nights, it’s been days where we don’t wake up. It’s been a lot. This is a nice way for Mark to get a little reward and be recognized for all that he’s been through,” Bryan Massey said.

Not only Mark take part in the flyover, he will be recognized on the field with the crews. Texas A&M will play the Air Force tomorrow at 4 p.m.

You can learn more about Mark’s story at this link.