How Tom Brady’s mother Galynn defied cancer and stood by the star QB through adversity and his historic Super Bowl comeback(Getty)Success stories are often remembered through championships and records, but Tom Brady’s 2016 season also came with a difficult time for his family. While Brady served a four-game suspension, his mother, Galynn, was undergoing treatment for stage 2 breast cancer, including chemotherapy and radiation.Unable to attend his regular-season games, Galynn watched from home before making it to Super Bowl LI, where she watched Brady lead the Patriots back from 28-3 to beat Atlanta 34-28. After the victory, Brady said, “She’s my everything. I just love her so much.”How Galynn Brady’s cancer diagnosis changed the family’s 2016 seasonTom Brady's mother, Galynn's cancer battle began in the summer of 2016. In an interview with NFL correspondent Andrea Kremer, she remembered sitting in a doctor's office when she was told that she had breast cancer. Doctors told her it was stage 2, but she also learned that the cancer was fast-growing and aggressive.“I just remember sitting in the doctor’s office and them telling me ‘You have breast cancer. It’s only stage 2,’” Galynn recalled. “And so the journey began.”That journey involved five months of chemotherapy, followed by radiation and other treatment. The diagnosis immediately changed the family's routine because Galynn had traditionally been a regular presence at Tom's games. During the 2016 season, however, her health prevented her from travelling to Patriots games.Instead, football became something she watched from home while concentrating on treatment. Her husband, Tom Brady Sr., later explained how the family structured its weeks around Galynn's chemotherapy and Tom's games.“Everything centered around 10 o'clock Thursday morning” for her chemotherapy and then Sunday morning when the family would watch football, he explained. Even while dealing with cancer, Galynn continued following her son's season. Those Sunday games gave the family a familiar routine during months that were anything but normal.How Tom Brady supported his mother while facing his own adversityGalynn's illness was not the only major challenge facing the Brady family that season. Tom entered 2016 dealing with the fallout from the Deflategate controversy and a four-game suspension.For Brady, watching his mother go through cancer treatment while also dealing with his own public struggles was emotionally difficult. Years later, while discussing that period in Man in the Arena, he explained how painful it had been for Galynn to see her son publicly criticised.“I think, personally, that was very difficult for her to see her son kind of raked through the coals like I was,” Brady said.He believed his mother had already been carrying the stress of her own illness, so seeing what was happening to her son added another burden. The family therefore became an important source of support for both Galynn and Tom.During his suspension, Brady spent time with his family at Pebble Beach in California. His ex wife Gisele Bündchen, daughter Vivian, nieces and nephews were also there. Brady later recalled standing on the 18th hole and looking around at the people closest to him while thinking about what really mattered.“Being with my family at a very vulnerable time,” he said, gave him a different perspective.Instead of allowing football to consume every part of his life, Brady recognised that his mother's health and his family's well-being deserved his attention too.How Galynn Brady fought through treatment with one goal in mindAs the Patriots' season continued and the team moved closer to another Super Bowl appearance, the Brady family began thinking about whether Galynn would be healthy enough to attend.Tom Brady told his parents that she would be ready for the Super Bowl. According to Tom Brady Sr., the family had calculated that the end of Galynn's five months of chemotherapy would fall about two weeks before the championship game.Galynn completed her final round of chemotherapy on January 12, 2017. But her recovery did not immediately become easy. She developed pneumonia and shingles, leaving her ability to travel to Houston in doubt.Her doctor did not clear her for the trip until one day before the family was scheduled to leave.Galynn could have stayed home after everything she had endured, but she wanted to see her son play.“There’s a special bond between a mother and a son,” Galynn said. “I just wanted to be there for Tommy, and I wanted to be there with our family. Everybody was going to the Super Bowl and I didn’t want to miss that.”Those words explain why reaching Houston meant so much to her. She had spent months watching Tom from home while going through chemotherapy, but she wanted to be beside him and her family when the Patriots reached the biggest game of the season.Her determination also showed how she approached the cancer battle itself. She was not allowing the illness to completely take away the moments she valued most.How Super Bowl LI became Galynn Brady victory tooGalynn finally made it to Houston, but the game itself quickly became another test for the family.The Patriots fell behind the Atlanta Falcons 28-3, leaving New England with a massive deficit to overcome. Galynn watched from the stands as the team struggled, and the situation became so painful that she eventually told her husband she wanted to leave.“I said to Tom, ‘I just want to go home,’” she later recalled. “I was heartbroken for Tommy.”Tom, however, continued fighting. The Patriots gradually erased the deficit and eventually forced overtime. New England completed the comeback with a 34-28 victory, giving Brady his fifth Super Bowl championship and the Patriots the largest comeback in Super Bowl history.For Galynn, the emotion was overwhelming after everything she had experienced.“I’m so glad that I decided I would go and just put cancer aside for that weekend,” she later said. She had made it to Houston despite the complications that had threatened her recovery, and she was there to watch her son produce one of the most remarkable comebacks in NFL history.Why Robert Kraft gave Galynn Brady her own Super Bowl ringThe Patriots' victory gave the Brady family a moment they would never forget, but Robert Kraft added another deeply personal gesture afterward. The Patriots owner gave Galynn her own Super Bowl ring, recognising her connection to the team's unforgettable championship season. Kraft's gesture acknowledged what she had endured while Tom was leading New England toward the title.For Galynn, the ring represented much more than the Patriots' victory. It was connected to the months of chemotherapy, the health complications, the uncertainty over whether she could travel and the decision to put her illness aside long enough to be there for her son.How Galynn Brady recovery brought another reason for Tom Brady’s family to celebrateThe Super Bowl did not mark the end of Galynn's recovery, but it was an important milestone. In June 2017, Tom Brady Sr. said that Galynn had finished her cancer treatment about two months earlier and was doing well, playing golf and tennis again.In August, Tom Brady gave another encouraging update, saying his mother was “on the road to recovery” after receiving very positive test results. “She’s doing really well,” Brady said. “Everyone in our family is so happy.”By October, reports said Galynn's latest cancer screening had come back clear, although her cancer carried a high risk of recurrence. She continued to undergo regular testing as part of her follow-up care.Her experience also encouraged her to share a message with other people facing cancer. Galynn said she hoped people could learn from her story and keep a positive attitude rather than giving up hope.“I would hope that they would learn to keep a positive attitude, and not to give up hope,” she said. “Be thankful every day; think about the people that are caring about you.”That is perhaps the most directly inspirational message from Galynn herself, because it came from someone who had actually gone through the treatment she was describing.How Galynn’s strength became part of Tom Brady’s storyGalynn had supported Tom long before he became one of the most successful quarterbacks in NFL history. She was there throughout his career and remained one of the people closest to him, but her cancer battle showed just how strong their bond had become.In 2016, both mother and son were facing challenges that demanded patience and resilience. Tom had to deal with suspension and the pressure surrounding his career, while Galynn had to endure chemotherapy, radiation and serious health complications.Neither could simply remove the other's struggle, but they continued encouraging each other.Tom's support was important to Galynn during treatment, especially when she struggled with the physical changes brought by chemotherapy. She later recalled losing her hair and wearing a bandanna, while Tom would reassure her by telling her she looked beautiful.Galynn, meanwhile, gave Tom another reason to keep pushing when the Patriots faced their biggest challenge of the season.Her decision to travel to Houston brought their two journeys together. She had fought through cancer treatment to be there, and Tom responded with one of the greatest performances of his career.That is what makes Galynn Brady's story so powerful. She was not simply watching her son play football while recovering from cancer. She was actively fighting her own battle, trying to stay positive and refusing to let the illness take away the moments she wanted to share with her family. Tom Brady's Super Bowl LI comeback will always be remembered for the 28-3 deficit, the overtime victory and another championship for one of the NFL's greatest quarterbacks. For the Brady family, however, the night carried a much deeper meaning.Galynn had fought through cancer to sit in those stands. Tom had fought through his own adversity to lead the Patriots back. When the two finally embraced after the victory, the moment represented everything they had endured together.