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Bradley's Story
A Story of Hope and Inspiration
If
you are reading this, you are either most likely an employee of the State of
Alabama, or it was forwarded to you by one of the employees as part of the
annual SCC fund drive to assist the various charities in Alabama, including
the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama and the Children’s Miracle
Network. Even though the economy is experiencing hard times, I still
believe in supporting the SCC through my payroll deductions.
Some of you may not know how your money is spent or
know anyone who has benefited from your donation, but let me put a name or
a face to that for you and share my story. The story is true and none of the
names or events has been changed.
In the spring of 1988; toward the end of the second
trimester of my wife’s second pregnancy; our world was rocked by the
disclosure of a potentially serious birth defect being detected during what
was to be a normal ultrasound. That discovery, and disclosure started a
whirlwind of events that immediately placed us in contact with the staff of
the University of Alabama Hospital and Children’s Hospital in Birmingham,
even though the delivery date was months away. During a follow-up ultrasound
at UAB, doctor’s confirmed that our unborn fetus had developed spina bifida
or what is commonly known as “open spine.”
Keep in mind, that this was during the time, prior
to the Internet as we know it today and my information about spina bifida
was limited to a few articles in books, magazines, and pamphlets which I
sought to obtain to increase my knowledge of the potential challenges that
my wife and I were facing. During one of the first meetings with the
neurosurgeon at Children’s Hospital, Dr. Patricia Aronia, informed my wife
and I, that we had two choices facing us. Option 1 was for us to accept our
unborn child no matter what; to love him and treat him as you would a normal
child, give him discipline, hold him accountable; set goals and encourage
him to reach his potential and both he and we would be happy. The other
option was to place him in front of a TV, using the TV as a babysitter;
ignore him, and all would be doomed for failure.
In June, 1989, our son, Bradley Joseph Collier
decided it was time to make his appearance into the world. After a very long
and complicated pregnancy, ready or not, Bradley was here and the past 22
years have been nothing short of a roller coaster ride for all involved,
including the medical staff.
Within 24 hours of being born, Bradley experienced
the first of more than 50 surgical procedures since birth, with the first
being the closure of the opening within the spine. That was followed a few
days later by the implementation of a VP shunt to regulate the excess fluid
on the brain cause by the hydrocephalus.
It was during this time, which I had my first
exposure to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama, as Phyllis and I
were allowed to stay at their facility during Bradley’s initial hospital
admission to the Specialty Care Nursery at Children’s Hospital. Since then,
we have watched the Ronald McDonald House grow from a converted two story
house with only six bedrooms, to an addition on an adjacent apartment
complex; to the new facility of today which hosts many families.
Until you have a child who is admitted to any one of
the specialty care units of Children’s Hospital, you never totally
understand the benefits of having a place of sanctuary, offering a place to
rest, to cry, to celebrate the daily miracles, and mourn the losses of the
children from the various families who are tragically affected by childhood
illnesses, accidents and trauma.
Against multiple odds, Bradley, who is now 22, has
exceeded the original life expectancy of 3-5 years, as originally told to my
wife and me. This I/we owe in part to the doctors and staff of Children’s
Hospital and the Children’s Miracle Network.
There have been several occasions where my wife and
I have stayed at the Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham, but found none to
be as challenging as Bradley’s emergency admission to Children’s Hospital of
December 7, 2006.
That morning, when I went to check on him and wake
him, prior to leaving that morning, I found him unresponsive and barely
breathing. The only response that I could get from Bradley was the opening
of his eyes. He couldn’t speak or move and I could see the fear in his face.
By his appearance, I knew and realized that if I did not act and act fast,
death was imminent. After a call to our local 911, I was prepared to begin
CPR, until medical assistance arrived.
After being rush to a local ER, where a team of
medical staff worked very intensely, trying to stabilize him and give him a
fighting chance, Bradley was flown by Air-Evac to Children’s Hospital. As my
wife and I were arriving on the parking deck, I received a phone call from
the medical staff at Children’s that Bradley’s condition was extremely grave
and needed immediate emergency surgery NOW! Phyllis and I arrived in the
hospital, just as they were taking Bradley to the operating room.
I never thought that I would see my son alive again.
The problem that morning was originally thought to be from a failure of his
VP shunt which was in part correct, because Bradley seemed to recover
quickly after surgery, but later that evening and during the night, he
crashed again, having to be placed back on the ventilator. By this time, the
results of the preliminary medical test revealed a toxic level of carbon
dioxide in his body form an undetected respiratory issue from him failing to
exhale properly, caused by his advancing paralysis. The MRI imaging revealed
that Bradley had also sustained damage to his brain stem, as a result of the
toxic carbon dioxide levels.
Once again, my wife and I were escorted to a private
office and informed that there was nothing else that could be done for
Bradley; that we had been good parents; he has experienced a good life and
asked when we wanted to disconnect the life support system. There were
notes placed in his medical file of his parents being in denial and in need
of counseling.
I found myself facing a broad range of emotions from
anger, to self-blame, self-pity, crying, praying and laughing at what is now
viewed as insufficient things, but made a decision to do what I believed to
be best for Bradley and us; refusing to sign the disconnect order, against
medical advice.
I also made a decision for which I was criticized
for, being totally honest with Bradley of his condition. He knew it was bad,
and he needed the assurance from me that Phyllis and I loved him
unconditionally, no matter what. I was able to obtain a clip board and
printer paper from one of the nurses in ICU, on which I wrote out the
alphabet and drew photos so he could communicate with me and the staff. He
was asking questions of both me and the staff was he dying. I am going to
die this time.
How do you answer these questions from your 17 year
old son? I told Bradley that yes it was bad; it was really, really bad this
time, and he had to make one of two choices. He could choose to go to the
next life where it would be easier on him, but his mother and me would have
to wait and come later; or he could stay in the present life and we would
love and care for him as best as we could, no matter what or how; adding
that only he could make that decision.
After surviving the first week, Phyllis and I were
approached about the possibility of sending Bradley back to surgery to have
a permanent artificial airway inserted and told that he would be on a
ventilator the remainder of his life. If done, we were facing a minimum of
6-7 months hospitalization as we began learning how to care for both him and
the equipment. I once again, sought comfort in prayer, asking for the
guidance to make the right decision and elected against the procedure.
Against all odds, Bradley was released from
Children’s Hospital, 3 weeks after his December 7th admission on
Christmas Eve. Even though basically he was now a quadriplegic, we were
going home.
During the days prior to him being discharged,
Bradley shared two stories with me, which I will never forget.
One being after our conversation of the severity of
his medical condition; and after hearing the discussion of his condition by
the attending various physicians during group rounds, his mindset became
more of a survival mode of “not if I can help it!”
He also shared a story with me about a single doctor
during the late night hours, whom he did not know or recognize, coming to
his bedside, offering comfort and support, telling Bradley that he would get
better, but it would take a very long time to do so, which is in fact, what
we have witnessed during the past 5 years. The only mystery of this story is
that none of the nursing staff on duty that night, including the one sitting
adjacent to Bradley’s bed, ever saw or spoke with this doctor. They
attempted to play it off as Bradley dreaming or a side effect from the
medications. But based on the remarkable miracle and recovery which I have
witnessed with Bradley; I can’t help but believing that it occurred as he
described.
Bradley, who is now 22, has grown into a remarkable
young man. He graduated with honors, 4th in his high school and was awarded
a scholarship to a local community college. He continues to defy medical
knowledge and reasoning by reversing from his quadriplegic condition of
December 2006, back to his original paraplegic condition. He continues to
motivate and encourage those around him including the medical staff who
continued to be astonished about his recovery.
Bradley has since
regained the level of independence of dressing himself, transferring from
his bed to wheelchair and back; and many of the simples things that he once
had done, but lossed; which we take for granted.
Even though I know that materialistically, I will
never be wealthy, in my mind that is not what life is about. Sure like
anyone else, I enjoy the comforts of having physical possessions, but I also
know that based on my life experiences some of which were created by being
Bradley’s father, I am blessed more than anyone will ever know.
No matter how bad things with Bradley have been, we
have always seen another family or child worse and are thankful that is not
us, because I know and realize that it could be.
As you would imagine, there are other stories and
experiences which I can share with you that time and this format does not
permit. If you wish to know more about me; my family; Bradley; the Ronald
McDonald House Charities of Alabama; Children Hospital or Children’s Miracle
Network, please contact me.
Jimmy Collier, CFI/Fire Inspector II
Deputy State Fire Marshal
Jimmy.collier@insurance.alabama.gov
256-412-1122
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