Brandon is 10 years old, and he is our youngest son with a big brother named Chance. Brandon has been diagnosed with encephalopathy, hypotonia, chronic asthma, and sleep apnea. Brandon has had multiple surgeries to repair his digestive system, hearing, foot muscles, and a heart defect. Doctors have not seen a child like Brandon, so he has been hard to diagnose. What we do know is that Brandon’s brain does not communicate with his muscles very well. He has the ability to do lots of things, but his brain can’t tell his body how.
Brandon is a very happy boy- he has the best smile and laugh! He communicates by pointing at pictures of his basic needs and wants. He develops his own signs for things, which makes for a fun mystery challenge. He mainly eats pureed foods, with his favorites being yogurt, bananas, and ice cream. Potty training is a continued work in progress. Brandon is currently mastering how to use an IPad, and he has made progress in communication. He loves books, Nickelodeon and PBS characters, songs, and any toy that requires pushing buttons. Brandon’s happiness and joy in the little things have made us feel so blessed and aware of the gifts we are given.
As Brandon’s parents, we are striving to do the best we can for Brandon. We feel he has the best doctors and therapists in San Antonio, and we are very careful to make medical decisions for him. In January of 2012, we found out about Conductive Education. The founder of Jaiden’s Journey, Tonya Almaraz, contacted us because she felt Brandon would be an excellent candidate for Conductive Ed. She helped us take Brandon to the Conductive Education Center of Orlando (CECO) where they worked with Brandon for five hours every day for four weeks. The results were astonishing! Before conductive ed, Brandon would struggle to put his feet on the floor, and when we left he was pushing a slider taking steps. Before, he was mainly eating out of a high chair because he could not maintain sitting while eating, but when we left he was not only sitting up to eat, he was sitting up from laying down unassisted. We were so overwhelmed with the results, that we fundraised to send him to Ability Camp in Canada, which is another conductive ed center that combines with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Ability Camp transitioned Brandon to a walker and helped him stand from a sitting position. Brandon had been diagnosed as legally blind because his eye muscles were delayed in tracking and focusing. After Ability Camp, his vision greatly improved! Thanks to our benefits in 2014 and 2015 and the continued support of Jaiden's Journey, Brandon continued to receive conductive education at CECO. Brandon’s success has been noticed by his therapists, teachers, and doctors. His brain is finding alternate pathways to communicate with his muscles through conductive education. Brandon has also made these gains because he has found his own motivation to work. He is so proud to “show off” to us, and he loves to surprise us.
We have created this website to help Brandon continue down his pathway. We do not know what the future holds for Brandon, but as long as he continues to be motivated, learn, and grow, we will continue to support his access to Conductive Education. Please consider donating to help Brandon's continued success.
Brandon is a very happy boy- he has the best smile and laugh! He communicates by pointing at pictures of his basic needs and wants. He develops his own signs for things, which makes for a fun mystery challenge. He mainly eats pureed foods, with his favorites being yogurt, bananas, and ice cream. Potty training is a continued work in progress. Brandon is currently mastering how to use an IPad, and he has made progress in communication. He loves books, Nickelodeon and PBS characters, songs, and any toy that requires pushing buttons. Brandon’s happiness and joy in the little things have made us feel so blessed and aware of the gifts we are given.
As Brandon’s parents, we are striving to do the best we can for Brandon. We feel he has the best doctors and therapists in San Antonio, and we are very careful to make medical decisions for him. In January of 2012, we found out about Conductive Education. The founder of Jaiden’s Journey, Tonya Almaraz, contacted us because she felt Brandon would be an excellent candidate for Conductive Ed. She helped us take Brandon to the Conductive Education Center of Orlando (CECO) where they worked with Brandon for five hours every day for four weeks. The results were astonishing! Before conductive ed, Brandon would struggle to put his feet on the floor, and when we left he was pushing a slider taking steps. Before, he was mainly eating out of a high chair because he could not maintain sitting while eating, but when we left he was not only sitting up to eat, he was sitting up from laying down unassisted. We were so overwhelmed with the results, that we fundraised to send him to Ability Camp in Canada, which is another conductive ed center that combines with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Ability Camp transitioned Brandon to a walker and helped him stand from a sitting position. Brandon had been diagnosed as legally blind because his eye muscles were delayed in tracking and focusing. After Ability Camp, his vision greatly improved! Thanks to our benefits in 2014 and 2015 and the continued support of Jaiden's Journey, Brandon continued to receive conductive education at CECO. Brandon’s success has been noticed by his therapists, teachers, and doctors. His brain is finding alternate pathways to communicate with his muscles through conductive education. Brandon has also made these gains because he has found his own motivation to work. He is so proud to “show off” to us, and he loves to surprise us.
We have created this website to help Brandon continue down his pathway. We do not know what the future holds for Brandon, but as long as he continues to be motivated, learn, and grow, we will continue to support his access to Conductive Education. Please consider donating to help Brandon's continued success.
