The legacy of a two-year-old boy and a heartfelt donation from his family is having an international impact on research into a rare brain tumour.

Alexander Brown died two years ago from cancer but before he passed his parents made the decision to donate his brain so scientists could harvest live cells for their research.

“Once we found out how rare it was and it was really needed, it wasn't a difficult decision at that point, “said Alexander’s mom, Tara Brown.

Alexander’s mom says they never suspected a brain tumour and that at first the little boy started choking on his own saliva and then had trouble walking.

His parents took him to the hospital and he was put on a wait list for an MRI.

His symptoms quickly got worse so his parents returned to the hospital and were prepared to stay until their son was seen. Alexander had a CT scan and a mass the size of a lemon was found on his brain.

Alexander had surgery and then received chemotherapy and radiation but the type of brain tumour he had was aggressive and deadly.

Alex lost his battle with cancer in October of 2010 and died at the hospice next to the Alberta Children's Hospital.

“Johnathon carried him from the hospice, from the Flames house which is amazing, to the hospital. It’s a short little area through the parking lot but it just didn't seem right to put him into a vehicle and send him over there. Yeah it's pretty tough,” said Tara.

Dr. Jennifer Chan took the cells from the tumour and has not only managed to keep them alive but has also replicated them so they can be studied in labs around the world.

“This cell line is something that didn't exist before anywhere so it empowers a whole group of researchers and you know we’re not the only people interested in this particular tumour so when word got out from their website that there was a cell line available, we had calls from researchers in Europe, in the States, across Canada to send and share our material with them so it’s not just about my lab, it’s about empowering lots of researchers to work on this problem,” said Dr. Jennifer Chan, Neuropathologist.

Alexander’s tumour is the first ETANTR tumour in history to be grown in a lab.

The Brown’s are glad that their son has had a positive impact on the research and have created a charity in Alexander’s honour.

“It's hard to imagine, but we're really glad we did, it's really making a different,” said Johnathon Brown.

The organization’s goal is to help other children, who are terminally ill with cancer, to experience as much as they can and to bring awareness to childhood cancers.

For more information and to make a donation, visit Alexander’s Quest website.