TEAM BRADLEY is joining a walk in memory of a son and dear friend Bradley who passed on January 31, 2011.
The 16th annual Dash for Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness
This month, we celebrate the life of an incredible, amazing, talented superstar, a brave warrior, a mighty fighter, our hero and miracle child who brought so much joy, laughter and happy moments to his dear mother, family and friends. His name is Bradley – Our brave resilient Bradley.
Who is Bradley
Bradley was born on July 11, 2006 in Newark, New Jersey. Right from the day he was born Bradley made it clear, through his actions that he was going to go through his journey of life according to his own rules. Defying all odds against him, he survived open heart surgery at 2 months, multiple catheterisations to open up his pulmonary veins, a heart and lung transplant and second lung transplant all in the four and a half years that he spent here with us. Did his medical predicament impact negatively on his life? Bradley wouldn’t let it.
Bradley was good looking and had a head of hair that endeared him to so many people and became his ‘trademark’. His charming smile and vivacious personality made him a strong and attractive life force. He was always full of life; had a good sense of humor and was very witty. He always made you smile with his anecdotes and jokes. He had a strong and charming personality and was very confident about himself and what he wanted (or didn’t want) at any precise moment in his life. He would argue his way out of situations like a seasoned lawyer and so his granddad called him ‘lawyer’ (attorney). Bradley would never let up until he won an argument. Bradley was clearly too intelligent for his age and certainly too intelligent for his own good!!!
Bradley was a very sensitive and caring child too. He would put up a brave front to comfort his mother and other family members. He saw the positives in situations. Never mind if he was in hospital and recovering from surgery. His sense of humor never waned, and his love for music always took him through those trying times at the children’s hospitals of New Jersey, Boston, and Philadelphia. Bradley was the only child who could sit up in his hospital bed with a breathing tube and ‘rap’ and ‘scratch’ and DJ away. He certainly did things his own way.
He loved life, loved music and knew how to have a good time. At home he would get all his family together to sing songs and have musical performances during which times he would play his drums, guitar, harmonica, maracas and all the other musical instruments that he grew to love. He would also dance and sing and he made sure that everybody around him played a part in his show which we rightly named ‘the Bradley show’.
He had a charm about him that made him a love bug, everyone who met and knew Bradley, loved him. He was a love magnet; he attracted people to himself not because they felt sorry for his condition, but because of his strength, courage, resilience and positive outlook on life. He touched the lives of so many people in so many ways. He was an amazing kid! He was intelligent and his medical challenges never dulled his intellect. He loved all animals and had a special interest in dinosaurs which impelled him to name his grammy, “grammysaurus”. He would go around the house, spreading his white powder on the hardwood floor to track any dinosaur prints.
Needless to say, Bradley drew his strength from the Lord. His relationship with God was ….awesome. It was a ‘real-time online’ connection – truly spiritual, and mysterious in a way that we had never seen a child connect with his God. Bradley would call on God and God would answer him directly and we bear testimony to that. Within a day of personally asking God for his heart and lungs he got them. When he needed a second set of lungs he called out to God and told Him he was in trouble, within 24 hrs of being re-listed he got it. His favorite song was “How Great Is Our God”.
Bradley was given to us on this earth for a short period of time. During this time, he brightened lives and touched many people in ways that we find hard to express. He had this attitude to life because he was surrounded by love, by the selfless dedication of his family especially his mother and “twin sist.” (aunty Esi), as well as friends who enjoyed him and gave him their love in appreciation and admiration of his courage.
Bradley will always remain in our hearts forever.
Bradley, rocks on in heaven and we rejoice because he is at peace, in paradise with the Lord.
Walk for Bradley this Sunday April 17th in Philadelphia. Click here for more details about the walk.
Bradley had a heart and double lung transplant in November 2009, and had to be re-transplanted for double lungs in January 2010. In his four and a half years with us Bradley taught us what it meant to be brave, courageous and to love. He was a trooper, a fighter and never let his medical limitations affect him. He was strong, active, fun- loving, and had a great sense of humour.
We treasure the times we had with Bradley and know it was because he had a second and a third chance! We walk in the spirit of Bradley and we believe that everyone deserves second and third chances too!
GO TEAM BRADLEY! GO GIFT-OF-LIFE!! WE ARE ALL WINNERS!!!
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