Autoworker inspired by grandchild’s fight to live
Jon Bristle raises huge money for cancer
Jon Bristle worried his granddaughter would be unable to reach third grade because her medical reports were grim.
With no warning, doctors diagnosed 6-year-old Kinzie Bosse with Stage 4 cancer.
Because it happened so quickly, the news left the entire family in a state of incomprehensible shock.
Her parents had been so proud of potty training success. They were baffled that it didn’t make sense when buckling up Kinzie in her car seat triggered pee-pee accidents. It made no sense. When it finally made sense, hearts were broken and panic prevailed.
Kinzie had a tumor inside her tiny body that pressed against her bladder when she tucked into the car seat. In 2015, her diagnosis was considered to be a terminal condition.
Feeling helpless and helping others
While she struggled with cancer in Auburn, Maine, her grandfather, at home in Grass Lake, Michigan, channeled his worry into raising more than $300,000 over the past decade for the American Cancer Society.
When he’s not working his shift at the Dearborn Truck Plant building the F-150 pickup, the 26-year Ford employee is coordinating cancer events and soliciting corporate sponsors and selling raffle tickets.
Bristle is known, primarily, for the Relay for Life cancer charity walk he established in Grass Lake. This year is the 40th anniversary of the event nationally.
“I started doing the Relay for Life with my sister-in-law, we made a team, and I enjoyed what it was for,” Bristle told me. “Then when Kinzie got cancer, it made me realize how much this was needed, raising money for research. I wanted to do more. Kinzie is my main reason for doing this. Seeing how she’s doing better now, it showed me there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. But people need help.”
Residents of the tiny village of Grass Lake, which is west of Ann Arbor, approach Bristle on the street and thank him.
“It makes me very proud,” Bristle said.
He has brought the community together, now holding the event on Friday so that people can walk sponsored laps on the track from 4:30 p.m. to midnight while also supporting Friday night football. It will be held Oct. 3 this year.
“We could do a traditional walk and get 30 or 40 people to participate, but during a football game, we get all the visitors, too,” Bristle said.
He works music and antique car events to raise money for cancer, too. When he worked the Faster Horses Music Festival, he donated his hourly wage. Colleagues at the Ford factory, where Bristle works tag relief in the body shop — he puts doors and fenders on trucks when people need to take breaks — support his efforts with raffle purchases and kind words.
“Jon is definitely ranked among our top fundraising individuals,” said Katie Jones, senior development manager at the American Cancer Society based in Lansing, Michigan. “Honestly, without him, the fundraising may not have continued after the pandemic. He is the heart of the Relay for Life in Grass Lake. The fundraising helps so many cancer patients and their families through research, support services and advocacy.”
Celebrating life at age 16
Now Kinzie is approaching her Sweet 16th birthday next month.
“I stayed back in second grade,” Kinzie said. “I had chemo, antibody treatments, complications along the way — kidney failure, many surgeries. I have a bunch of scars all over my body but I’m healthy now. I’m live my life happy and cancer free. I have been in remission, I think, seven years.”
The high school freshman likes to spend time with her best friend hanging out at home, doing nothing and laughing about funny things. She rides bikes, plays video games.
Family will celebrate her April 8 birth as well as her evading death.
Kinzie fought neuroblastoma, a cancer that can develop in the head, neck, chest, abdomen or spine. Kinzie was diagnosed high-risk, which meant chances of survival fell below 40%.
Form of cancer not uncommon in children
Neuroblastoma is by far the most common cancer in babies infants (younger than 1 year old, according to the American Cancer Society website. About 700 to 800 new cases of neuroblastoma are diagnosed each year in the U.S.
Neuroblastoma is the most common cancer in babies and the third-most common cancer in children after leukemia and brain cancer. About one in every 7,000 children is affected at some time, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Bristle’s exhaustive efforts to spotlight the importance of supporting cancer research directly impacts public engagement at a local level, his colleagues say.
“Jon embodies the very best of Ford: a skilled and dedicated member of our team, and a true leader in our community. His tireless commitment to fighting cancer, a cause that resonates deeply with so many of us, is an inspiration,” said Corey Williams, plant manager of the Dearborn Truck Plant and Rouge Electric Vehicle Center. “We are incredibly proud to have Jon as part of the Ford family, and honored to support him in his mission."
Offering hope to others
Kinzie said knowing her grandfather has devoted so many years to helping families fight cancer is amazing.
After years of fighting the deadly disease, she offered words of advice to other young cancer patients and their families:
“Times are going to get rough. You feel like you’re going to give up but don’t ever give up … Keep fighting … Keep going.”
More: Honda owner gets gift from Ford just before breast cancer surgery
More: Made in America: 21 year old shatters guitar, discovers dream career
More: My aunt taught kids to read, believed in the power of libraries
PS: As a proud member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, a roundup of world-class journalists, I hope you’ll check out the incredible news, commentary and features.
Wonderful, as usual Phoebe. I love your stories of autoworkers - reminds me of the old TV series Naked City - "There are over 8 million stories in the Naked City." And, there are. Mr. Kinsey and his family now have their story.
Thanks Phoebe for this writing this positive news story! You may have seen another inspiring story related to another young person's health battle, published in Sunday's Detroit Free Press, but I still want to send it to you. Take care, Ken
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/2025/03/30/michigan-girl-tumors-vanish-after-family-visits-blessed-solanus-caseys-tomb-sainthood/82657052007/