A Marine, a Diagnosis and a Dream Come True
Danielle and Kacey Charlton married young — she was 20, he 22. As a United States marine, Kacey spent his life putting others first, selflessly serving his country. Moving from state to state between overseas deployments, Danielle and Kacey finally settled in southern Maryland in 2023.
In January of 2025, a solo work trip for Kacey to New Orleans turned into a life-altering journey neither of them could have predicted.
Kacey and Danielle Charlton were married at ages 20 and 22, and spent the early years of their marriage moving from state to state.
A Sudden Emergency
After being found severely lethargic in a hotel room, Kacey was rushed to the hospital, where doctors discovered a significant brain bleed. An external ventricular drain was placed to relieve pressure from excess blood and fluid. Extensive swelling and bruising made it impossible to determine if a mass seen on imaging was a tumor or a clot. Kacey underwent a craniotomy to evacuate a sizable blood clot, but the swelling still obscured any clear diagnosis. He was discharged to recover at home.
Two weeks later, Kacey suffered a seizure. A CT scan revealed a brain tumor. On Feb. 22, 2025, he underwent a second craniotomy to remove two-thirds of the tumor, which was about the size of a clementine.
Though he initially improved, signs of a urinary tract infection prompted another hospital visit weeks later. Imaging showed the tumor had already regrown. Kacey was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma at age 37.
A Devastating Diagnosis
Given a prognosis of five months to five years, Danielle became Kacey’s full-time caregiver and fiercest advocate. Refusing to take no for an answer, she helped move them to Tampa in August 2025 to continue treatment at Moffitt Cancer Center.
When Danielle learned that the San Francisco 49ers were coming to Tampa to play the Buccaneers, she was determined to make sure Kacey — a lifelong 49ers fan — could be there. She took to TikTok with a heartfelt public plea, and the video quickly went viral, amassing more than 230,000 views.
After seeing his wife's video, the San Fransicso 49ers invited Kacey to a practice and to watch the game from a suite.
The Marine Corps sent the video to the 49ers, who responded extraordinarily. They invited Kacey to attend a private practice and to watch the game from a luxury suite at Raymond James Stadium.
“When we arrived at practice, as soon as we got Kacey up on the sidewalk in his wheelchair, Kyle Shanahan walked by, stopped and shook Kacey’s hand,” Danielle recalled. “Kacey was in utter awe, like a kid looking up at his hero. The look on his face that entire weekend is something I will never forget.”
A Dream Weekend
Kacey’s memory has been significantly affected by his tumor, so while he doesn’t remember all the details of that weekend, his face still lights up when Danielle shows him photos and videos from the experience. From the moment they parked at Raymond James Stadium, he was filled with excitement and couldn’t wait to get inside.
Being on the field for pregame warmups was a lifelong dream come true. An avid football fan,Kacey has always loved arriving early to watch warmups from the stands, but this time he was on the sidelines up close to the action.
Kacey always enjoyed getting to games early to watch the warmup. This time, he got to watch the warmup from the sidelines.
“We could barely get his attention during warmups because he was so engrossed in watching his favorite pastime,” Danielle said with a smile. “When I told him we’d be watching the game from a suite, he just said, ‘Wow,’ with a look of pure amazement on his face.”
In a beautiful twist of fate, the couple watched the game from the DeBartolo suite named after the longtime Moffitt board member, bringing their story full circle.
As of today, Kacey’s scans show no new tumor growth. He and Danielle continue to fight — together every day.
