The one thing that Brandon enjoys most in this world is watching WWE matches. He simply can’t get enough of the thrilling and uncontrollable world that is professional wrestling. When he watches the WWE on television, the bright lights and adrenaline-pumping excitement take him far away from any discomfort his condition causes him.
You see, when Brandon was barely two months old, he was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a disorder in which the bile duct between the liver and small intestine is either blocked or absent. This causes a build up of bile in the liver and leads to cirrhosis and eventual liver failure. Just this past December, Brandon had to endure a liver transplant. Since the transplant, however, he’s been suffering seizures and high blood pressure; he’s in and out of the hospital every week.
It was through Brandon’s aunt that his mother first learned about Kids Wish Network and their goal of granting the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses. Once he was referred, it wasn’t long before he was telling Wish Coordinator, Vanessa, all about his passion for the WWE and their Superstar, Jeff Hardy. With the help of Wish Funding Specialist, Donna, and some outstanding sponsors, Vanessa organized a trip of a lifetime for Brandon that included tickets to the WWE match that evening, a ride in a limousine and, of course, a meet-and-greet with Jeff Hardy, himself!
On the evening of the match, Brandon and his family were taxied to the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio in a very fancy limousine. “Oh, he loved that,” said Brandon’s mother, Jaime. “He really thought it was cool.” Once there, Brandon was escorted behind the scenes and got to sit down with his hero, Jeff Hardy. “He [Brandon] was a little shy. He was pretty much in shock.” Though he was a little on the quiet side, Brandon was more than happy to accept the signed gifts and pictures that Jeff Hardy was handing to him. While backstage with Mr. Hardy, Brandon even had the chance to meet other great names in the WWE such as Vince McMahon and R-Truth!
Following the meet-and-greet, Brandon’s excitement tripled as he watched the man he just met fight in the ring right in front of his eyes. The action was fast-paced and truly entertaining for Brandon and his family’s seats couldn’t have been any better: they were ringside!
After the matches, Brandon had yet another chance to hang out with his hero. This time, however, through all the excitement of the evening, Brandon lost his shyness and really opened up to his wrestling hero. “They just talked and talked,” said Jaime. “Jeff even took off the necklace he was wearing and gave it to Brandon.”
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