Brandon's Story

Brandon and his family had planned to go on a vacation. It was to be the very first time Brandon and Jeffery would be on an airplane. Thirty days before we were to take off, Brandon began saying that the side of his face hurt and he was unable to breath out of his nose. We thought it was nothing and began giving him Tylenol.It seemed to work for a bit but he never really felt normal.

I decided to take him to Kaiser to have him checked out. His Doctor believed that it was allergies and we went home with meds. The dose of antibiotics he was given was stronger than normal do to the time constraints we were working with. We had a re-check appointment ten days later and again the Dr. Zubach continued to believe it was just really bad allergies, again we left with several meds.

We continued to go back and forth to the Doctors Office and the Emergency Room. He was really feeling bad and was not eating. Time was really flying by and we were concerned about how he would do on the plane with the pressure in the cabins. Approx. eight to ten days before we needed to leave I called the Advice Nurse to let his Doctor know that he was not doing any better. The Nurse asked me if anyone had done a CT Scan? She suggested that next time I took him in to ask for one.

That Saturday Brandon went to bowl on his league and just began feeling terrible so he asked his dad and I to take him to the hospital. At the hospital the CT Scan was done and the doctor then believed that he not only had allergy problems but a nasal infection also. The next trip again was to the Emergency Room and at this point he had a small lump on the left side of his neck, it was believed to be glands in his neck trying to fight off the infection. Again we went home with meds. We were asked to return to see Dr.Zubach in a few days. We began to be very concerned. I was starting to think the staff at Kaiser thought I was either nuts or one of those Munchhausen by proxy parents. I couldn't believe that it was just an allergy. Never the less, we did as we had been instructed to do.

A day or two later Brandon was in the shower and when he looked at his neck the lump was larger. Our final appointment with his Doctor was April 21st. The very next day. Dr. Zubach began to check Brandon out and when he looked in Brandon's mouth the uvula was pushed down so far into his throat that it couldn't be seen and it was shutting off his only airway. The roof of his mouth was being pushed down towards his tongue.

We then were sent to Ear, Nose and Throat. Dr. Wolfman noticed what the other Doctor's couldn't due to his expert training and informed me that Brandon had a mass and needed Emergency Surgery. With in an hour and a half Brandon was in the O.R. When Dr. Wolofman was finished he came to inform us that Brandon had Cancer and that a biopsy was being sent to Berkley for testing.

Our world seemed to stop that very minute and a sort of numbness and disbelief set in. He was transferred to Kaiser Morse Ave on April 22nd. Our fight to make Brandon well began. We met Dr. Jolly, Kaily and Adams that day along with the Pediatric Staff and they became our world. Brandon was diagnosed with Burkett's B Cell Lymphoma, Brandon has gone through two surgery's several CT and Gallium Scans and five Chemo treatments he was supposed to receive nine treatments but due to him catching Fungal Pneumonia in one lung and regular Pneumonia in the other lung they decided that it was best to stop treatments. If they continued Brandon would risk the chances of the fungal infection spreading to his vital organs, (heart, brain etc.) a risk that we all couldn't take. We are grateful that Brandon is in remission and we pray that in April 2007 he will receive his clean bill of health.

We are thankful for all the prayers and help that we have received. We're not out of the woods yet. Your contiuing prayers are not only needed but deeply appreciated. This has been a journey of sorrow and happiness. We learned much about something that no family should have to learn. We are confident that Brandon still has a message to deliver, and that the Lord has given him the chance to deliver it.