About Us / Our Story
About Our Website and Socia Media Accounts
What Is Brandon's B.A.C.C.?
In short, Brandon’s B.A.C.C. is a blog for my son (Brandon) and I (his Dad Richard) about his Battle Against Childhood Cancer. I know it is kind of corny, but I wanted my son to know that he had supporters that would look out for him and that I would be at the front of the line. So I came up with the saying. I’ve got Brandon’s B.A.C.C. as a play on the common phrase, I’ve got your back. which according to the Cambridge dictionary means ‘to be ready to protect or defend someone’ or as the Macmillan Dictionary says ‘to always be ready to defend or help someone’. Collectively, We’ve Got Brandon’s B.A.C.C.
Our Journey Through the Storm
From the heart of a father
Life has a way of testing our strength, and for our family, the test came in the most unexpected form. Our story is not just about a battle with bone cancer; it’s about resilience, love, and the unbreakable bond of family.
I come from a military family, where discipline and love went hand in hand. I’ve carried these values through my life, from dropping out of high school to get my GED and a job, to raising my children with the same love and support I was fortunate to have. Brandon, my 12-year-old son, is a testament to these values. Despite his challenges with ADHD and being on the Autism Spectrum, his compassion and kindness never cease to amaze me. He’s the kid who offers help to strangers and brings a smile to those in need.
Our family’s journey took a turn when Brandon’s mother, my first wife, passed away, leaving a void that was hard to fill. Years later, my second marriage brought more love into our lives, but it too came to an end, leaving Brandon, his twin sister Racheal, and me to support each other on our homestead.
The real test of our strength came in May 2023 when Brandon was diagnosed with bone cancer. The news shook our world, but we stood firm, facing each challenge with courage. From the aggressive chemotherapy to the below-the-knee amputation, Brandon’s resilience has been nothing short of inspiring. As his father, watching him confined to a wheelchair and battling through the side effects of treatment has been heart-wrenching.
During these tough times, our faith and the support from our family and community have been our pillars. The creation of brandonsbacc.org is a reflection of this support. It’s a platform for us to share our story, recognize our supporters, and offer a way for kind souls to help us in our time of need. Your support, whether through social media interaction, financial donations, or sending encouraging messages, means the world to us.
As we navigate these challenging time, we are immensely grateful to our existing supporters and extend our heartfelt thanks in advance to future supporters.
Your kindness not only helps us financially but also uplifts our spirits, reinforcing our belief in the goodness of people. Every like, share, and donation brings us closer to overcoming this challenge.
Join us on this journey, be a part of our story, and help us turn this storm into a testament of human kindness and resilience. Join the rest of us and Have Brandon’s B.A.C.C.
The goal of this blog is to try to accomplish a few things:
1, To share with the world my amazing children. Specifically Brandon. He is an incredible young man with a heart bigger than just about anyone I have met. He is kind, sweet, and compassionate. There is so much to love about him when you get to know him. So I want to help people get to know him.
2, As a form of therapy for us to express what we are feeling, what we are thinking. To put the words down and send them out into the world and hopefully remove them from our heads and hearts. I believe journaling and allowing others to read those journals will be helpful to Brandon and myself.
3. To share updates with family, friends, and supporters. It can be difficult trying to share information about how he is doing, how I am doing, and what the doctors are saying. etc with a lot of people. Even using things like Facebook Messenger Groups. I thought the best way to handle it, so that Brandon and I could put it in one place and everyone that was interested could check in and get the latest information.
4. To help demystify the process and hopefully make it a little less scary or confusing to those that may go through something similar in the future. This has been and still is terrifying for us. But the worst part is not really knowing what to expect, not understanding how the whole thing works and trying to believe there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It is my hope that once our journey is complete, it might serve to soothe some of the concerns of future child cancer patients and their families.
5, To help raise awareness of Cancer, what it is, how the treatments work, and what some risks and side effects are. I know there is probably already a lot of information out there that is better than what I can produce. But again, this is more about raising awareness than providing technical and comprehensive medical information.
Navigation and Features of Website
- "Our Journey" contains links to our Blogs, Pictures we post and for some users, our calendar.
- "Supporters" contains links to a list of donations from our supporters, pictures submitted by our supporters, and testimonials submitted by those who know us.
- "Get Involved" contains links and information on how to support and share our story on Social Media, how to financially support us, how to get our support shirts or hats, how and where to send letters, cards, pictures of support and encouragement for the kids or how to contact us for other reasons.
- "Account" will allow you to register and/or login to interact with the site.
Ways to Support Our Family
Even if you support us financially, following our social media accounts, liking our posts, and sharing our story, links, and posts are some of the best ways you can help us meet our goal.
If you are able to support us financially, no amount is too small or too large. You can use the GoFundMe for one-time donations of any amount.
If you want to support us financially each month, you can use BuyMeACoffee to make regular donations. You can edit or cancel these at any time.
If you would like to show your support by wearing a t-shirt, sweater, hoodie, or hat that helps not only show your support but spread the word, we do not receive any portion of the price. However, you can choose to add a tip.
If you want to send a card, letter, drawing, or other physical items we have a P.O. Box you can mail things to for Brandon, Racheal, or both.
You can also send words of encouragement or contact us for other purposes via email.
Latest Posts
Update – 2024-06-12 – First Time Really Walking in Over a Year
Sorry for the lack of updates. I’m going to try really hard to get back on track. I did want to go ahead and provide a quick update for everyone
Update – 2024-02-12 – Ringing the Bell
Thank everyone for their support and encouragement! Here is Brandon Ringing the Bell when he got discharged from the last Chemotherapy Treatment on Monday 2/12/2024
Update – 2024-02-12 – No More Chemo!!! No More Planned Inpatient Hospital Visits!!!
Update – 2024-02-12 – No More Chemo!!! No More Planned Inpatient Hospital Visits!!! Sorry for the delay, it was a very busy night and day. So we were NOT anticipating