Blake Bonta and his father share a painful connection: both were diagnosed with brain tumors as children. Today, both are healthy, and Blake is preparing to serve as the 10th Kid Captain of the 2025 Iowa Hawkeyes football season.
Blake’s journey began when doctors at a local hospital discovered a mass in his brain. He was quickly transferred to University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital, where specialists diagnosed him with metastatic grade 4 medulloblastoma—an aggressive cancer that had spread to his spinal cord.
“He had been healthy his entire life,” said his father, Justin Bonta. “He was always the tallest, biggest, heaviest kid. Then everything changed in the fall of 2022.”
A once-energetic boy who loved early mornings, school, and sports, Blake suddenly found it difficult to get out of bed. He frequently became sick at school and eventually transitioned to home-schooling. Doctors initially attributed his symptoms to anxiety. But in January 2023, shortly after celebrating his 10th birthday, Blake began experiencing severe headaches and difficulty walking.
Scans at a local hospital revealed excess fluid and a mass at the back of his brain. “Nothing like a brain tumor crossed our minds,” Justin said.
Blake was rushed to Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Within minutes of arriving, he was taken into surgery to relieve the pressure in his brain. His parents were stunned — especially given that Justin himself had a brain tumor at age 6, though his was noncancerous. Blake’s MRI revealed not only the primary tumor but additional cancer spots along his spinal cord.
“I literally fell to my knees,” Justin recalled. “Hearing the word ‘cancer’ crushed my soul.”
Blake underwent two more surgeries within the next 10 days, including a 12-hour operation to remove the tumor and another to place a shunt. He then began radiation and chemotherapy. For more than a month, his entire family — including their dog — lived together in a small Iowa City hotel room to remain close during treatment.
The journey was grueling. Blake stopped eating, lost weight, and eventually relied on a feeding tube. He had to relearn how to walk. Despite everything, his attitude amazed his care team and family.
He also felt the support of his community. At one point, around 60 people from Urbandale made a special trip to Iowa City to create what they called the “Blake Wave,” inspired by the Hawkeye Wave tradition at Kinnick Stadium. “They had signs and cheered,” Justin said. “We wheeled him to the window, and he made a heart sign back to them.”
After six months of chemotherapy, Blake received the news his family had prayed for: his scans showed remarkable improvement. In September 2023, he rang the end-of-treatment bell alongside Nacho, his favorite hospital facility dog. Since then, his scans have shown no signs of cancer regrowth.
Through it all, Blake found purpose. He launched several fundraisers to support pediatric brain tumor research, raising more than $100,000 so far. One fundraiser even featured an autographed basketball donated by Hawkeye star Caitlin Clark, who befriended Blake during his hospital stay. He also grew close to Hawkeye football players, including Steven Stilianos, Luke Lachey, and Xavier Nwankpa.
Now 12 and in seventh grade, Blake misses sports but enjoys video games, Legos, and talking about cars. He continues physical therapy to rebuild coordination, and his care team closely monitors his health.
“The staff — from support workers to the nurses, doctors, and surgeons — have been incredible,” Justin said. “They go out of their way to make the experience, as awful as it is, the best it can possibly be.”
With his strength, optimism, and growing legacy of giving back, Blake will take the field as a Kid Captain this season — a moment his family once feared might never come.
https://uihc.org/childrens/kid-captain#row-295806
