\nWhen Braden West was born, doctors told his parents that he would not survive.\n
The little boy had all odds against him \u2013 but his life-threatening condition would lead to one miracle after another. Today, Braden is 22 and celebrates his life by becoming a firefighter.\n
Braden West was born with the rare craniofacial condition, Pfeiffer syndrome Type 2, which causes malformations of the skull and an underdeveloped brain. His mom Cheri understood something was wrong and was told about her son\u2019s condition two weeks before he was born.\n
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\u201cI mean, he\u2019s kicking in my belly and I\u2019m praying for God to take him home,\u201d Cheri told News Nation Now in 2020, adding:\n
\u201cIt looked like he was not going to have the back of his head. It looked like he was going to be born with teeth. It looked like it was a bad situation.\u201d\n
But when Braden was born, Cheri immediately bonded with her special boy.\n
Sadly, Cheri also felt that there wasn\u2019t much she could do to save her baby boy. Many of the children with Braden\u2019s condition will not live past birth. In Braden\u2019s case, he wasn\u2019t expected to live beyond 18 months.\n
\u201cI said dear God please, just let me have him for a little while,\u201d said Cheri.\n
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\u201cThere\u2019s a picture of him when he was born and it shows his skull very well, a distinct clover shape,\u201d Cheri told The Owensboro Times, adding:\n
\u201cAt a month old they let us bring him home. He was not thriving, they knew he was not going to make it. We brought him home to meet everyone so he wouldn\u2019t die in a hospital.\u201d\n
But since his birth, Braden has been defying all the odds. With the support of his loving family, the little boy started to show signs of progression.\n
\u201cHe had over 30 surgeries, got a tracheotomy at just 3 months old, and once had a procedure done with a 10% survival rate,\u201d Cheri said. \u201cWe had to sign the DNR papers, say our goodbyes and everything. Instead of bad news, the doctors came out and said he was okay.\u201d\n
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As well as the support of his loving family he also formed a special bond with registered nurse Michele Eddings Linn.\n
When Braden was a baby his health fell into decline and his future looked uncertain.\n
\u201cAnything a mother doesn\u2019t want to hear is what they told us. It\u2019s amazing with faith in God what you can get through. Anyone who knew us or knew of us were praying for us,\u201d Cheri said.\n
Michele was by his side the night Braden almost lost his life. \u201cI just remember, you know, praying, \u2018Lord just either take him home or make him better,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cBecause no one could watch him continue to go through this.\u201d\n
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Linn said when baby Braden pulled through that night he was her first patient who ever got to leave hospice care. Now the two are so close that Braden even asked Michele, who he refers to as his \u201cangel,\u201d to take his senior photos.\n
\u201c17 years ago I cried because I thought his time on Earth was ending, and now I\u2019m crying because he is graduating [from] high school and his life is just beginning!,\u201d Linn wrote on a Facebook post.\n
\u201cTo watch him become this amazing young man has been emotional, but yet I\u2019m so proud,\u201d mom Cheri told The Epoch Times.\n
\u201cWhen I was watching him walk the line, every emotion of the first few months of his life came flooding back. All I could think about was, he isn\u2019t supposed to be doing this, he wasn\u2019t supposed to even be able to hold a pencil, speak, see, hear \u2026 and here we are.\u201d\n
To celebrate such an amazing milestone in Braden\u2019s life his parents organized for him to be flown into the middle of a live concert which featured one of his favorite musicians, country singer Cam Thomspon, via helicopter.\n
Braden described his graduation day as \u201cperfect\u201d.\n
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17 years ago I was this boy’s Hospice Nurse, and today, I just finished editing his senior pictures!! What a blessing\u2026\n
Posted by Linn Michele Pete on Saturday, September 5, 2020
\n\u201cI feel pretty good knowing I worked so hard to get to this day because it wasn\u2019t always easy,\u201d he added.\n
Braden, who walked with a walker until he was five years old and learned to walk on his own with lots of therapy, is now a member of the civil air patrol unit in Owensboro, Kentucky.\n
He always dreamed big and now, he\u2019s living out his lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter, joining the Moseleyville fire dept as a volunteer fireman.\n
His mom Cheri says her son\u2019s achievements serve as a special reminder to those with all the odds stacked against them.\n
It\u2019s official!!!\n
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\u201cDon\u2019t ever give up \u2026 No matter how hard the mountain is to climb, keep climbing because the view at the top is amazing!\u201d\n
Thanks to Braden\u2019s faith and determination he\u2019s not only survived but thrived with his amazing grades.\n
Help us congratulate this inspirational young man and wish him a future of health and happiness by sharing this story.\n
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