Clowns help 4-year-old celebrate his victory over cancer

MODESTO, Calif. -- Beating cancer is an achievement that warrants celebration, but the COVID-19 pandemic put it on hold for 4-year-old Brodie in Modesto, California.

His favorite creepy clowns wanted to change that.

"I cried. It's just so powerful to see, like, there's no words of how heartwarming and heartfelt that was," said Alissa Nicole, Brodie's mother. The 4-year-old was diagnosed with Stage 3 Burkitt's lymphoma in 2019 and underwent chemotherapy, forcing the family to spend the holidays in the hospital.

"It was a very long, really long, hard time," Alissa said. Brodie finished chemotherapy on March 27, 2020, but the COVID-19 health crisis kept family and friends from being allowed to join him as he rang a bell at the hospital signifying his completion of chemo.

His mother says Brodie is a big fan of horror movies, particularly the movie IT, which features a clown as the titular character. Ranch of Horror, the local Halloween haunt, heard about Brodie's lack of a celebration and decided to help with some clowns of their own.

"My son said it best when he said he's already met the scariest monster out there," said Janice Regalo, one of the owners at Ranch of Horror. "And that was cancer and he kicked cancers butt, so to him our clowns are just fun and games."

The clowns are no stranger to doing things outside of Halloween. Earlier this year, they grabbed headlines as they delivered Valentine-grams up and down the Central Valley.

RELATED: Creepy clowns pass out Valentine's Day gifts in the Valley

This time, Ranch of Horror helped organize a parade for Brodie, with their clowns in full makeup to give Brodie the celebration he deserved. They even brought a bell for him to ring triumphantly.

Dozens of people also drove by during the parade, many bringing painted custom rocks for Brodie to keep in a rock garden.

When asked what his favorite part of the parade was, Brodie's answer was simple: "All of it."