Happy birthday Braylon!
In Ohio, Braylon celebrated his 12th birthday and is Casey Cares' 805th birthday this year!
Casey Cares knows that for a critically ill child, each birthday is a special milestone celebrating life. For the children in our programs, it not only marks another year, but it also demonstrates a great achievement. Casey Cares staff and volunteers work hard to send out each of our kids a special birthday package through our Birthday Blast program - we send over 1,000 a year! This simple act of kindness delivers joy and hope to our kids who are undergoing treatment.
Activities for All!
Casey Cares provides activities for critically ill children and their families to enjoy! Since joining our programs in 2022, Braylon has seen the dinos at Jurassic World Live, enjoyed Movie & Pizza Night packages, tested his knowledge with online trivia parties, and more!
Braylon's mother, Emily says, "I have loved all of the activities! Most recently, our family of six attended the Cleveland Browns game. We are big Browns fans, but have never been as a family. Due to Braylon’s diagnosis for many years he couldn’t be around that many people. Now, he’s able to do that. It was a great experience for us as a family!"
Emily appreciates the, "variety of free family opportunities. Having a son with cancer, and three other children has caused us to become disjointed. However, these events are something we all look forward too! I am so thankful for Casey Cares! "
A Brutal Diagnosis
Emily says that, "in February of 2022, Braylon developed a bad cough. After a virtual visit to the pediatrician and a croup diagnosis, he was not getting any better. He later woke up with very swollen lymph nodes. We took him to Urgent Care then the ER where he received a chest X-ray which showed a huge mass that was 3/4 of his chest. We were in shock that he had been walking around with this and played basketball just the day before."
The mass in Braylon's chest was diagnosed as T-cell lymphoma.
"He was admitted to the hospital and stayed for 30 days for induction chemotherapy. It was brutal on his mind and body. He has had many other hospital admissions due to chemotherapy side effects or fevers. He completed consolidation, interim maintenance, and delay intensification chemotherapy phases. They were horrific to go through. He is in maintenance chemotherapy now, which involves daily oral chemotherapy, oral steroids, IV chemotherapy, and IT chemotherapy. He’ll be done with this phase on June 24, 2024," Emily states.
As a mother of four, Emily notes she worries "constantly, mostly about my child developing complications and dying" as the biggest challenge of being a parent to a critically ill child. "I worry about my three other children who have had to lose their parents for a season as we focus on Braylon."
"Within these worries, I also have hope and gratitude. I am hopeful because Braylon’s prognosis is very good. I am grateful to other parents and children who participated in clinical trials in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s to create the life saving treatment that Braylon receives," she continues.
Caring for Others
As her son celebrates his birthday, Emily reflects that Braylon is, "constantly thinking of others. One example is that he collects money to purchase blankets for other hospitalized children. Because his first nights in the hospital we had nothing, and he received a blanket that comforted him."
Want to bring some birthday joy to children like Braylon? Donate here!