Support Byron’s Quest to make the Paralympics!

Hello, and thank you for visiting this page. This fund is intended to help support my cousin Byron in his mission to compete for the United States of America in the 2024 Paralympic Games. Below is his story, written by my cousin Tiffany.

My brother-in-law, Dayton Police Officer Byron Branch, has been handed difficult circumstances in his life, but I have only ever seen him remain calm, positive, and persevere. It is not uncommon for him to participate in something that gives back to his community. He volunteers to help coach at a local fencing club, trains fencing students, and regularly organizes and purchases Christmas gifts for underprivileged children in the city of Dayton with his wife. He finds those in need, and seeks to help them; he gives his time and energy selflessly to those who need it, including his own two girls, and his extended family.

I am here to tell his story so that he might gain additional support from his community or from others willing to help him achieve his goal of continuing to travel and compete at the Paralympics in wheelchair fencing.

A former able-bodied fencer, Byron has been fencing since he was in high school. In 2011 he was top in the sport in the Great Lakes Region, and in 2014 he was 17th in the USA for DIV1A Men’s Foil.

In December of 2016, after just eight months on the Dayton Police force, Byron suffered major injuries and was lucky to come away with his life. While on duty, he was hit while responding to an accident on I-75 during a freezing rainstorm. The injuries that he sustained that night caused him to lose his right leg. You can read more or listen to the story here: Police Officer Survives Highway Crash

Before long, he was learning to walk again with a prosthetic leg, ironically around the same time as his one-year-old daughter was walking for the first time. Very soon he was driving, exercising, back on the police force, and ultimately beginning wheelchair fencing in 2018. That same year, he competed in the PanAM Games in Canada and won Gold. Within one year, Byron quickly moved up to ranking 17th in the world. In 2021 he medaled in every U.S.-based para-fencing competition. Byron kept his gold from 2018 after winning an all-American final in Brazil this past month.

In addition to his fencing success, Byron has received many accolades from the communities in which he serves as a resident, as an officer, and competes in. In the 2016-2017 fencing season he was honored with the Spirit of Sport award (https://www.usafencing.org/news_article/show/809910). In 2018, he was awarded Officer of the Year, the Dayton Police Department’s highest honor, because of his positive attitude, mindset, and determination to return to the force in just seven months. In 2021, he was honored with the 2021 Steve Whalen Memorial Policing Award for his work mentoring youth in the Dayton community.

Recently, Byron learned that if he can clear enough points in his upcoming competitions, he will qualify to compete at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris. If anyone deserves support and the opportunity to continue this journey to see how far he can go competing worldwide, it's Byron. Byron is inspiring in his professional life as well as in his fencing career. He will continue to pay it forward, and he will continue to show others what they, too, can overcome. Please consider giving Byron your help by supporting his quest to get to the Paralympics!

To learn more about Byron visit his Facebook page here.