My Friend, Brandon

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share out pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand." - Henri Nouwen

I met Brandon at a "Christian party" my freshman year at Spelman (Please don't judge). Writing "Christian Party" out just sounds so funny now but it was the thing to do for the Christian crowd in the AUC. It was a legit party with Christian up-tempo music, food, and dancing (at safe distances, of course). It was unique. Something I will never forget. 

Freshman year was one of the most exciting because of the way you met people and instantly became life-long friends. That's how it was with Brandon. It was a relatively instantaneous friendship. Back then, Brandon was a clown. I mean that in the nicest way possibly, of course. It seems like Brandon would do his best to annoy me into chasing him around. Which meant poking, teasing, hitting, cake throwing (Yes, It happened), relatively anything.

As our friendship grew, I learned a lot about God, ministry, service, friendship, and dedication to people. Brandon always wanted to help someone. Even me. Over the years, I've seen him in his darkest and most vulnerable moments and at any moment, he would drop everything to help someone else.

Time and circumstances had a terrible effect on our friendship. It seems that by the time I heard word of Brandon in 2011, it had been nearly three years since we spoke more than a few words to each other. I hate that it had to have been this news that would bring us back together. 

In the Spring of 2011, I learned that Brandon was in the hospital with a brain tumor. The same lively, happy, loving friend that I had known so well, went to the hospital for headaches only to find something much worse.  

I went to see Brandon in the hospital, shortly after his initial surgery. His mother and some of our mutual friends were surrounding his bed. His head was wrapped with bandages and he could barely speak, but he was laughing and smiling with all of us. I fought my tears that day. I refused to cry, when he still had so much joy and so little information on why this was all happening to him. Although, I wondered. 

At that time, we didn't know whether Brandon was going to make it, nor what he was up against but we were there. We are still here. At the end of 2012, Brandon shared that he would soon be taken off of his mother's health insurance and needed help to insure his medical care would continue. 

In 2013, a group of friends and I started the "100 Days to Save a Life" campaign to help Brandon. We have raised over $4,000 but still have a long way to go. Whether we reach our goal or not, I have it set it my mind that friendship is more than being with something when everything is going well for them. True friendship stays with you in your darkest hour. True friendship holds your hand and fights along side you. I want to be a true friend. 

Please support my friend, Brandon, in raising money to take care of his medical needs. Glimoblastoma is the most common and most aggressive malignant primary brain tumor in humans. This disease does not have specific ties to genetics, race, gender, or age, which means that this could happen to anyone. Prognosis is extremely poor, with a median survival time of approximately 12-14 months. This disease is almost invariable fatal. Yet, Brandon has been fighting it for two years now. 

Please visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/100DaysToSaveALife for more information.