How a Brandon Family Removes the Stigma of a Suicide Attempt

The Call:
It's the call you hope to never receive.  A friend on the phone was asking people to pray for Brayden, an 8th grader because he attempted suicide.  This is a young man who went to camp and youth group with my son and his friends.  So many people know Brayden.  He's that kid who's just a ball of fire, #12 on the football team.

Honesty Opens the Door:
When a suicide attempt happens, it seems people want to be respectful of the family and not talk about it.  Maybe there's a few hushed tones and close friends and family know what happened.  Other families try to hide it, and I understand why they do.  What Brayden's family did totally blew the doors open.  They became open, honest and real when they created the Facebook page Pray for Bray, which now has over 2,500 followers.

 The "What really happened" question can come to and end, HERE it is. Brayden attempted SUICIDE. He hung himself, and Shawna got home minutes after it happened. We believe about 5 minutes. So for 5 minutes his brain was without oxygen. He went into cardiac arrest 2 times, that means his heart stopped beating, and they restarted it. Damage to his brain is a great possibility, probability in most cases. But we believe our God is bigger than than a "probability"  Our family is not ashamed of the word SUICIDE...We believe this can be a turning point in our community-His future is uncertain, but we are asking for your prayers for a healing for Bray.  We will continue to stay in prayer and believing that God's hands can orchestrate a miracle!

Community Cares for the Family:
Because of the family's candid approach, everyone in the community is allowed to talk about it, support each other, and in turn provide a flood of support and love for Brayden and his family.  "Pray for Bray" t-shirts are now available.  Businesses are delivering food to the family holding vigil at the hospital, and words of support and comfort are coming from surprising places.  In my opinion, they are receiving so much support because they didn't hide what happened.  Whenever we can safely share a life struggle with others, suddenly we're not alone:

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” -C.S. Lewis

 

Update on Brayden:
After being unconscious and on a ventilator for a number of days, Braydon is opening his eyes, trying to move and is attempting to remove his ventilator.  Today he squeezed the someone's hand when he was asked to.  All of these signs are positive.  Swelling on the brain is still a serious concern and the amount of brain damage is uncertain.

What to do if you or someone you care about is contemplating suicide:
The Helpline is ready to connect 24/7 on the phone at 1-800-273-8255