Brody – 2024 Recipient

Brody is 12 years old and is from Morristown, MN. He is what you would call an “Old Soul.” He enjoys visiting with people and helping others as much as he can! You will always find him in the neighborhood trying to help the neighbors with yard work of any sort. Brody lives and breathes to be outdoors. He enjoys hunting and fishing, or just shooting a gun at his Papa's farm whenever he has the opportunity. His other favorite
activities include baseball, football, camping and snowmobiling (if there is snow)! If the weather is bad, you will find him in the house playing hunting games. Brody has a large family with 5 siblings – Jonathan, Amaya, Aiden, Cade and his sister Brenna, who is only 10 months younger than him.

In January 2012, when Brody was only one week old, we found out that he has Cystic Fibrosis. This news was something that we were unfamiliar with. We later learned that my husband and I both carried the genes. The day we found out, our natural reaction as parents was to google the disease. Everything we read was scary and focused on worst case scenarios – things that could happen at any age and the life expectancy was only 30 years old. Brody's first few years of life were rough – he has severe sinus disease and was in and out of the hospital often. Brody has spent time everyday for the last 12 years doing multiple vest treatments and takes hundreds of pills a week to help with eating. He also takes other medications to maintain his health and prevent lung damage. 
 
Cystic Fibrosis is a silent disease. On the outside, Brody looks like a young, healthy little boy. However, his days revolve around his vest treatments and scheduling his eating times so he can take his pills at the correct time. Brody never complains and is always compliant with everything he has to do. This can be especially tough on summer days when the other kids are outside and he has to come in to do his treatments. However, you will notice Brody is always smiling no matter how he feels.

Brody has tons of support from family and is especially close with his younger sister Brenna. We would like to give her just as much acknowledgment as him. She has grown with him and always wants to try to help. She always puts Brody first and carries a lot of weight on her shoulders, worrying if her brother is going to get sick. They are great playmates and have a great bond! 

Brody's older siblings are also amazing. They do so much to help him with anything he needs and always want to be a part of the activities he participates in.

Over the last 12 years, we have realized that when you have a child diagnosed with a disease, everyday seems like you are grieving. Even on the good days, in the back of your mind as parents, you wish you could heal your child. This is something that never goes away. We have been very blessed with the new CF treatments that are available, which help preserve the lungs and prevent damage. They do have some negative side effects that have been hard on Brody, and as parents we have to make tough decisions whether to take your child off them or keep trying to manage the side effects. Hopefully someday a cure will be found!

We are strong believers in our faith and are blessed with each and everyday we all have the chance to be together. I am thankful Brody is healthy enough to be able to participate in this wonderful opportunity given to him! We are sure the memories will last a lifetime. Brody and our family will forever be thankful to all of you who have made this happen. This opportunity does not just give Brody something to do that he loves, but to establish new friendships and relationships with your organization that will last forever. Thank you to each and every one of you for your support to our family and the other families out there to make this happen for these strong beautiful children we have.