Brandon Odedina, 8
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Brandon Odedina was listening to the radio one day and heard a
commercial about a child with Leukemia. He turned to his mother and
asked “Is that what I have? Do I have cancer?”
At that moment, his mother, Franca Dunn,
knew what she needed to do. She had explained the diagnosis as best
as she could, but she needed help. She took Brandon to Texas
Children’s Hospital, where a child life specialist explained what
was taking place in his blood and cells. The specialist also
described the benefits of the medicine he would take and how it
would affect his body.
It didn’t stop there. With every
treatment, Brandon’s mother said a child life specialist was willing
to talk to her son about the next procedure. The information made
him more comfortable and confident.
But as important as it was for Brandon to
understand the details of his disease, it was just as important that
he took some time to forget about his illness altogether.
This opportunity was provided by Camp
Periwinkle, a week-long summer program for children with cancer.
Brandon’s mother was so grateful for the
experience that she raised $1,290 for The Periwinkle Foundation,
which supports camp activities. In her fundraising efforts she
talked to friends and local churches about her son and the benefits
of the program.
On her fundraising Web site Dunn says:
“I believe you all know the drastic changes we have all been
through since Brandon was diagnosed with leukemia, and the hard
difficult days of chemotherapy, radiation and spinal taps. I would
like you to know that the only thing that made Brandon really,
really happy was Camp Periwinkle. It has given Brandon two magical,
wonderful summers to remember. Our entire family believes in the
magic of Camp Periwinkle.”
Brandon’s entire family is spiritually
grounded and says they draw their strength from God. “We pray
everyday for every patient, every doctor and each medication,” said
Dunn. “We bless the clinic every time we walk in.”
The combination of prayer, excellent
medical treatment and Camp Periwinkle seem to have done the trick.
Brandon has completed treatments and is feeling much better. He only
goes to the hospital for check-ups.
“The support of the Texas Children’s
Hospital staff helped us deal with the news,” said Dunn. “God
brought us to the right place at the right time.
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