Braden's Story
Meet Braden! Braden enjoys being a part of The B Strong Group. He loves all sports, especially football and basketball. He loves gaming, the arts and his family and friends. He’s now looking forward to college where he will be attending the University of South Carolina majoring in Computer Engineering.
Braden has enjoyed being the inspiration behind The B Strong Group. He likes volunteering and sharing information about our organization. He has had opportunities to present in forums virtually and throughout the country.
Meet Braden, Our Inspiration
Braden has Sickle Cell Hemoglobin SC Disease. It is the second most common type of sickle cell disease. It occurs when you inherit the Hb C gene from one parent and the Hb S gene from the other.
Braden loves all sports! He has played baseball and basketball. He loves playing kickball for fun. He loves watching all other sports, especially football, where his favorite professional team is the Carolina Panthers.
He can play sports as long as he stays hydrated and takes frequent breaks. Braden also has asthma so he has to make sure his breathing is good, as well.
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Braden also love the arts
He has taken piano and drum lessons and is currently taking cello lessons. He loves to draw, paint, and create things. He is super creative and his imagination and ability to create art with it is inspiring. Braden loves school and his favorite subject is math.
Braden's Resilience: Staying Positive Through Sickle Cell
Sickle Cell Disease causes him to miss days of school, some holidays, and fun activities but Braden never complains. He just keeps going. If you ask Braden how he is doing, 99% of the time, his response will be “I’m good.”
Because of his resilience, strength, and positive attitude, his dad and I were inspired to start this nonprofit in Braden’s honor. We want to do our part in spreading awareness about sickle cell disease. We want to give back to our community and encourage our community to support our Warriors, and their caregivers and embrace the importance of awareness.
Braden's Impact: The Heart of The B Strong Group's Mission
Braden enjoys being a part of The B Strong Group. He likes volunteering and sharing information about our organization. The B Strong Group exists because of Braden. Our supporters love Braden and our family.
Our organization also has other sickle cell warriors who are also helping The B Strong Group with its mission. We want to empower our Warriors and their caregivers by allowing them to be a part of this special organization.