Brandon
Photos and Writing by Katelynn Dobson
This is my cousin, Brandon.
By the time Brandon was two weeks old he had already had two open-heart surgeries. For a while, they did not think he would make it. Sixteen years later, and Brandon is playing football, basketball, baseball, and doing track and field. This summer he had another surgery to put in a heart valve he had been missing since he was born.
However, on October 28 Brandon was playing in his high school’s varsity football game when he ran off the field and collapsed. He had gone into cardiac arrest. He was shocked back to life by his team's trainers and sent to the hospital to get a defibrillator surgically implanted in him. He can never play contact sports again.
A day after leaving the hospital, he was on the sidelines cheering on his team. He’s very strong and sweet and has been through a lot, especially this year—but you wouldn’t know if you met him.
A portrait of Brandon before his heart went into cardiac arrest.
Photo of Brandon (#30) in a huddle during a Central Valley football game.
Brandon standing with his teammates for the national anthem before a game.
A closeup of Brandon ready to run onto the football field.
A photo of Brandon's shoulder after the defibrillator was implanted.
A portrait of Brandon at home, holding a defibrillator similar to the one that is now in his chest.
Brandon recovering with a donut at Sacred Heart in Spokane, Washington.
Brandon walking out of the hospital after his surgery.
The day after Brandon was released from the hospital, he cheered from the sidelines.
