Football Fanatic
A brave 8-year-old tacklesbrrare blood disorder
The last day of schoolbrbefore summer break ended like any other. In June 2013 8-year-old BradenbrAllison left class and headed over to a friend’s house in his neighborhood tobrplay outside. When Braden’s mom, Jill, picked him up, she knew something wasbrwrong. As he tried to get into the car, Braden told his mom that his legs hurtbrso bad, he couldn’t move them. They returned home, where the pain of shiftingbrpositions while seated brought Braden to tears. Jill thought Braden had simplybrhurt himself while playing. But over the next few days, Braden began to run abrfever.
After two trips to thebrdoctor and one phone call to a pediatrician friend, Jill took Braden to CookbrChildren’s Hospital, where he was promptly admitted and given a course of IVbrantibiotics—the doctor assumed the young boy was suffering from an infection. Butbrmany tests administered over the next two weeks revealed nothing wrong. Theybrcalled in another doctor for a second consult, and as Jill recalls, “I willbrnever forget her saying, ‘I wonder if he has HLH?’”
Hemophagocyticbrlymphohistiocytosis, or HLH, is a rarebrblood disease in which the immune system goes into overdrive. Cases of HLHbrbegin with the patient fighting a normal infection or virus. The immune system beginsbrby targeting bad cells, but eventually starts attacking the good ones, too. “Itbris impossible to know when exactly this took over [Braden’s body] or what thebrinitial illness even was,” Jill said. “But it is life-threatening if notbrtreated.”
After a blood test and a bone-marrowbrtest, the hematologist confirmed Braden had HLH. Meanwhile, Braden had gottenbrso ill he to be admitted to the ICU. They started him on chemotherapy andbrsteroids that night. While HLH isn’t cancer, a side effect of chemotherapy treats thebrillness. It shuts down the immune system, which allows it to reset. Thankfully,brthis treatment worked for Braden, who faced a bone-marrow transplant if it didbrnot.
After four days in ICU,brBraden started improving, and he moved to the hematology/oncology floor for thebrnext two weeks. He spent 32 days at Cook Children’s before he was finally ablebrto return home.
“The Cook Children’s staff saved Braden’s life,” Jill says, notingbrthat they relied on Cook Children’s throughout the recovery process. “The staffbrat the Cook Children’s Hematology/Oncology clinic in Grapevine played anbrimportant role. Everyone in the clinic was so nice and accommodating from thebrminute we walked in. We felt like part of the family there right away.”
For Braden, the best thing about beating HLH was that he was able tobrwatch his favorite football team play again—the Carroll Dragons. Because hisbrimmune system was compromised, Braden missed much of his second grade year, andbrin addition, couldn’t attend events such as football games. However, the schoolbrworked with the family to ensure Braden could become the vibrant third grader hebris today—a third grader who not only gets to play his favorite sport, football,brbut also cheer on his favorite team.
Nine-year-old BradenbrAllison, says that for “as long as he can remember,” he has been a SouthlakebrDragon fan. “I love that they are so good at all the sports they play.”
An avid football playerbrhimself, Braden was forced to take some time off a few years ago. A rare bloodbrdisorder, HLH, landed him in the hospital in 2013, and as a result Bradenbrunderwent chemotherapy. During that time Braden was granted a wish from thebrMake A Wish Foundation. His wish was to travel to the big game Feb. 1, so hebrand his family packed up and headed to Arizona this past month to cheer on hisbrsecond favorite football team.