Support for Brayden's Recovery Journey

My sweet nephew, Brayden, brings joy to every room he enters. He is smart, adventurous, determined, and has a laugh that could win anyone over. Brayden loves going to school with his teachers and friends, reading books, counting, and giggling at silly noises. Most of all, Brayden loves to swim. From the time he was very young Brayden always loved the pool and spent most of his summer days in the water.

Sadly, on May 14th, Brayden was involved in a devastating non-fatal drowning accident. CPR and epinephrine were administered at the scene and after multiple minutes without a heartbeat, his heart miraculously began to beat on its own. His condition upon arrival at the PICU in Hershey, PA was grim. He was breathing with the support of a ventilator, taking a slew of medications to revive his organs, and receiving round-the-clock care. He experienced seizure-like activity and frequent neuro-storming in the days following the accident. Doctors were not hopeful he would make it through the first few days after the accident or ever be able to breathe on his own, and have since given little hope for what Brayden’s capabilities will be in the weeks, months, and years to come.

We are on week 12 in the Hershey Hospital and, per usual, our sweet guy is defying the odds and making strides beyond what any doctor thought he would. Brayden underwent tracheostomy and G-tube surgery 3 weeks ago and everything went well. He is able to breathe on his own without a ventilator, tolerates feeds well, and has started to wean off a few of the many medications he was initially on. He has begun to initiate very small movements, shows small emotions when engaging in familiar activities, and seems to enjoy being up and about in his (new & improved) wheelchair. In true Brayden fashion, he has wasted no time showing off his sassy personality and letting us know when he isn’t happy about the work required for his recovery. All that said, he still has quite the journey ahead of him.

Brayden celebrated his 9th birthday on July 21st, his first day to venture outside the hospital walls in 9 weeks! We are committed to doing whatever it takes to make sure he has many more birthdays full of smiles and laughter, and we are asking for your support. Brayden has an anoxic brain injury, a condition with little to no known medical treatments available. One of the few treatments to show success in this type of injury, particularly in children, is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. We are consulting with world-renowned specialist, Dr. Paul Harch, who has treated more than 200 children with similar injuries and has seen a very high success rate in increasing various functions to improve autonomy and quality of life. Dr. Harch is based in New Orleans, and we are in the process of making plans for Brayden to receive treatment there. We are also considering stem-cell therapy based in Arizona, another of the few treatments that have shown success in children with anoxic brain injuries. All of these treatments are time-sensitive, costly, and not covered by insurance.

Brayden has been unfairly faced with so many challenges in his short life, and we are approaching this one just as we have all the others before –supporting Brayden to be the happiest and most autonomous version of himself and focusing on all he can do rather than what he can’t. We are so thankful for all the support we have already received from friends and family near and far and appreciate your consideration in contributing to Brayden’s recovery journey. Even if you are unable to contribute, we ask that you share Brayden’s story or keep him in your thoughts. We can’t wait to share the progress he makes in the coming weeks and months with you all!

All our love,

Emily & Family