Brandon was born in April 2000 in Racine, Wisconsin. When he was born we were told that he was a happy healthy baby boy. We were so excited. We now had two children, Brandon and his older sister Toni; she was two at the time. When Brandon was about 9 weeks old my husband took him to the doctor for a common cold that just didn’t want to give in. Brandon also looked yellow to me. Although my husband thought it was just my imagination, I asked him to talk to the doctor about it anyway.

The next day we got a phone call from the doctor telling us that we needed to take Brandon to a GI doctor that day to get checked over. Within a few days Brandon was diagnosed with biliary atresia and getting the Kasai done. Brandon was only 10 weeks old at this time.

By the time Brandon was 5 months old we had him on the donor list. Brandon had his transplant in October of 2000. He was only 6 months old.  He spent almost 3wks in the hospital. It was the worst time of my life. He looked so fragile. I couldn’t even hold him for almost a week. The only thing he could do was rub my check. It made my heart break. To this day when he isn’t feeling very well and is cuddling with me he rubs my cheek.

Brandon is now 5 years old and is doing wonderful. He is now only on one med, which is excellent, considering he was on 12 meds at one time in his life. He is a very energetic and rambunctious little boy. He loves school and hates the fact that he only gets to go to school for a half of a day and not all day like his older sister. I always tell him next year when he is in first grade he will go all day. He loves to help me with his younger sister who is only 8 months old. He loves to read, play games and go outside. He now only sees the specialist every 6 months and gets lab work up done every 3 months.

I thank God everyday for the donor family and for every day we have with Brandon and our other children. Please know that Brandon is a success story and if you are in the same situation we were just a few years ago. There is hope and support for you and your family.