Brandon’s Story
Brandon has been a survivor over the past 8 years through pain, suffering, and uncertainty as well as happiness, joyfulness and hope. Life took a major turn when Brandon was diagnosed with cancer around the age of 3. Sadly, he and his family now face the reality that Brandon has but months, weeks, maybe days to be with us due to a third attack from cancer. vvWhen Brandon was first diagnosed he had a 35% of beating it. The odds were against this little boy. Words cannot describe the intense chemotherapy, surgeries and close calls this boy and his family had to endure for him to have a chance at life, not to mention the emotional toll this has taken on those close to him. But a miracle happened and little Brandon Bird survived, and beat the cancer! Fast forward a few years. Brandon had a relapse when he was about 7. Again Brandon fought. He fought hard the second time. Taking on double the doses of treatments given to most children his age of chemo and operations, he made it again. Most children would not survive a second round. Brandon did. He was deemed clean of cancer again, for a second time, and a second chance at life as long as he stayed in remission.
As the specialists predicted, the cancer has returned. Unfortunately, with the amount of chemo and surgeries Brandon has had, there is no cure, no treatment, no extending the inevitable, no options on the table. Brandon’s days are numbered. He just celebrated his 11th birthday. It is a miracle he is here with us today, but a tragedy he may not be with us much longe. Brandon has beat the impossible and grown into a fantastic young man, going to school, making friends, playing baseball, dancing, building legos, loving Star Wars and telling people who come into contact with him “don’t worry, I don’t have cooties…. It’s just cancer”. We have seen his mother raise Brandon as a single, working Mom, never showing her child her feelings of despair and doing everything possible to make things comfortable over the 11 years of his life.