30 Under 30: Cade Mitchell

Nursing Student, Car Enthusiast, Brain Tumor Survivor

Words by Al Blanton | Images by Ryan McGill

Cade Mitchell likes the fact that his 1970 Chevelle isn’t perfect.

“It’s got a bunch of scratches, dings, dents. Something about the flaws of it draw me in,” Cade admits. “It’s got a story to tell for sure.”

Much like Cade.

Two years ago, while Cade was taking summer classes at Bevill State, he started going blind.

Doctors soon discovered a scary scene: a brain tumor the size of a large grape was inside Cade’s head.

As he was seeking opinions, one doctor told him he’d be on medication the rest of his life. Cade decided on a less invasive approach and made it through a successful surgery that drained fluid from his brain, as well as subsequent radiation therapy.

The decision seems to have paid off. Now Cade is on no medication and the tumor has shrunk to half its size. Still, he must walk through this life knowing that a tumor is inside his head.

The good news is he’s back in school, studying to become a nurse with dreams of one day becoming a nurse anesthetist.

The ‘yes sir-no sir’ 20-year-old says the whole ordeal has humbled him and changed his perspective on life. But more than that, he knows he’s blessed to be alive.

“It shows you really don’t know what’s going on in other people’s lives. You’ve just got to take what comes at you,” Cade says. “Everybody gets curveballs in life, and you have to take it how you can. You just know somebody’s got you in their hands.” 78