2nd annual Cooper Brazell Foundation golf benefit set for May 17
(Calhoun, Ga.)—For six-year-old Cooper Brazell, life is a daily struggle. The Calhoun Primary School first grader was diagnosed at the age of 21 months with a rare form of Mitochondrial Disease that has left him unable to sit up, walk or talk. In addition, Cooper has a feeding tube for his nourishment and has hundreds of seizures daily without the five seizure medications he takes each morning and night.
Despite the challenges he faces, he has the sweetest spirit according to his mom, Kim Brazell. “Cooper really is our hero,” says Brazell. “He struggles with the simplest things in life, the normal everyday things that we take for granted. But he is a loving and happy soul.”
To help the family manage Cooper’s ongoing medical expenses, friends created the Cooper Brazell Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation managed by North Georgia National Bank. The foundation is holding the 2nd Annual Cooper Brazell Foundation Golf Benefit on Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at Fields Ferry Golf Course in Calhoun to raise money for this account. The tournament is a 4-man scramble format. The cost is $100 a player and lunch is included. If you aren’t a golfer, but would like to sponsor there are several options.
“The Foundation that was set up in Cooper’s honor has been a Godsend to our family. It helps pay for medical bills, prescriptions and other expenses that insurance does not cover, and it was a tremendous help to us last year especially,” says Brazell.
In mid-November 2016, Cooper’s seizures, combined with respiratory issues, led to him being admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Scottish Rite for 28 days. “The seizures started, and we just couldn’t get them to slow down or to stop. We went to Gordon Hospital and the doctors were fantastic and quickly knew that we needed to be in Atlanta, so we were transferred via ambulance,” says Brazell. By the time Cooper arrived at Children’s, the seizures were back in full force, and after working to stabilize him, the doctors said he needed to be in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). “Anytime a physician tells you that your child needs to be in Intensive Care, it terrifies you.”
Over the course of the next 28 days, Cooperwouldhavenumerouspulmonary treatments, seizure medication changes and new equipment introduced to try and stabilize him. “Those 28 days were some of the most difficult for our family,” says Brazell. “We spent Thanksgiving in the hospital and weren’t able to be with our 11-year-old son, Nicholas, and that was hard. I watched Nicholas’s first ever basketball game via text, video and photos thanks to good friends and my husband, because I couldn’t be there to cheer him on. I would stay with Cooper during the week while my husband, Ben, worked and then he would come stay with him on the weekend, and I would come home to work and to see Nicholas. It was hard being separated, but we knew that Cooper was fighting and if he could do it, we could too.”
“There were two very scary nights that I truly thought Cooper was in real trouble, but like I said, he is tough and pulled through. When he was finally well enough to come home, and they said we were being discharged, I think I took him and ran to the car before someone could change their mind,” says Brazell with a grin. “We knew that we were in the right place. The doctors, nurses, therapists, anyone that worked with Cooper was wonderful, but we were so ready to come home and get back to our normal life.”
Since being home, Cooper continues to battle sickness, but nothing as severe as in November. “He has Strep a lot and runs fevers quite a bit. Winter is very hard on him, but overall his new medicines have worked well at controlling his seizures. We continue to see our neurologist in Atlanta to manage the seizures and his medications and we are looking in to various other treatments.”
“We cannot thank everyone enough for all they have done for our family. Cooper is such a gift to us. Although he has never talked, he has spoken to so many people. People around the world pray for us, help and love us. It means everything to know that they are caring for and loving Cooper. We were fortunate, we were able to come back home to family, friends and to a community that loves us and for that we are most thankful.”
For more information about the tournament, you can call 706-271-8003 or email Kim Brazell at brazellkim@ gmail.com.