Brandon came into this world like a ray of sunshine. As an infant, he was an extremely happy baby. He had these big brown eyes, an incredibly sweet smile, and an adorable giggle that would make me melt. So, it didn’t take long before he had me wrapped around his little finger. 

As a toddler, Brandon put a remarkable amount of enthusiasm into everything he did. At the same time, he managed to bring the good out in everything and everyone. He was extremely affectionate and gave endless amounts of love to those closest to him. My wife Millie and I used to call him our “lap baby” because he would crawl into our laps at the first opportunity, and he was completely content sitting there as long as you let him. Brandon also gave the most amazing hugs. When I would come home from work, he would scream, “DADDY” at the top of his lungs, run at me full speed, leap into the air, and with all his strength, give me the biggest hug in the world. In a split second, his hugs could turn a bad day into a spectacular day. 

As a young boy, Brandon always had a good nature and a fun-loving spirit. His passion for life was contagious and captivated all of those around him. But as animated as he was, Brandon was not interested in being the center of attention. He wanted to share his joy with everyone around him. Brandon simply loved life itself. Brandon treasured his school, Parkway Christian, where he attended for 3 years. Every time we drove by it, he would shout with excitement, “My school!” He adored his classmates and was popular among them. But he was always drawn to the children who seemed to need a friend. He was enthusiastic about learning and especially enjoyed his Spanish classes after school. Sometimes, when I would come home from work, he would walk over to me and, in his sweet, high-pitched voice, recite bible verses or sing songs about Jesus. 

Brandon always enjoyed spending time with his brothers. After school and on the weekends, he loved to go fishing and swimming with his brother Jason. The two of them were like peas in a pod. They did everything together. And when his brother Nico was born, Brandon couldn’t be more ecstatic. He would always find joy and humor in the little things Nico did as a baby. He also took great care of his baby brother. When Nico learned to walk, for example, Brandon would always follow him around the house to make sure he stayed out of harm’s way. 

One of the things Brandon always wanted was a dog. He would say, “I want to buy a little, white, fluffy dog.” Well, Brandon got his wish and picked the most loving, affectionate white, fluffy dog you could ever imagine. And he named him “Fluffy.” Fluffy became his little companion and followed Brandon everywhere. Brandon loved Fluffy with all his heart, and Fluffy loved him right back. Brandon would let Fluffy lick him on the lips as much he wanted. I tell you, it was like they were made for each other. One of the things Brandon was very good at was saving money. But he never learned how to spend it. When we took him shopping, he would bring his wallet to the store, but would somehow always get me to pay for anything he wanted to buy. When Brandon turned 6, many friends and relatives, knowing how much he loved money, gave him dollar bills in his birthday card. His eyes lit up with every time he opened a card and a dollar bill fell out of it. For Brandon, it was like winning the lottery. For Millie and me, it was priceless. 

On March 8, 2011, our world came crashing down when Brandon’s doctor delivered the most devastating news of our lives. He told us that Brandon had a malignant brain tumor with no known cure, and that our beautiful boy likely had less than a year to live. We were shattered. But we never lost hope or faith, because with Jesus anything is possible. Thousands of people around the globe, many of whom were strangers, joined us in prayer and called God for a miracle. 

On March 31st, 2012, after a brave, year-long battle, Brandon won in his battle against cancer and earned his angel wings. You see, while it’s true the tumor took his life, it never took his spirit. Throughout the course of his aggressive treatment, which included two rounds of radiation, and several rounds of chemo, Brandon remained as positive, cheerful, and loving as ever before. In fact, throughout his battle, Brandon seemed far more concerned about how his illness made Millie and I feel than his own physical health. 

Brandon, I am so proud of you son. You endured an extremely difficult journey and did so with extraordinary courage and grace. I am truly honored and humbled to have been chosen as your father. 

With love always, 

Your Daddy