Hannah, Dee and Heaven Brundidge

Vascular Ring; Brain Cancer; Bilateral Hip Dysplasia

Holley Brundidge is the proud mother of five. Having five kids is a miracle and a challenge all rolled into one, but her journey of miracles and challenges have been one that many of us can only imagine. Three of her five kids have had major health experiences at Children’s Hospital. The Brundidge’s first experience with Children’s was with their daughter Hannah. Whenever she would cry she’d choke and gasp for air. Hannah was treated for a year for her asthma-like symptoms until she was diagnosed as having a vascular ring around her heart. This is what caused the muscle to tighten when she cried and made it difficult for the blood to flow correctly. She had surgery at age one, and has not had any problems since. Today, Holley says Hannah is a happy, smart, 11-year-old. She makes straight A’s and plays baseball. She’s in the 6th grade and to look at her you’d never know she ever had surgery. Malcolm Dakota, or Dee as everyone calls him, is 8-years-old. He was diagnosed at age two with a very aggressive form of brain cancer. Holley said he had a seizure on November 7, 2001 and was unconscious for a while. The doctors in Dothan did a biopsy and told them they needed to go to Children’s Hospital as quickly as possible. Dee had his first brain surgery on December 5, 2001 at Children’s. Following that surgery he had a year of chemotherapy and every three months since, the doctors have done an MRI to be sure nothing has come back. “He’s 8 years old and isn’t missing a beat. He likes to visit the Children’s Harbor when he comes for visits. He plays football, but we got him a special helmet to protect his head. We don’t want to restrict him, but we do want to be careful. He excels in sports and enjoys baseball as well.” Heaven, is 4-years-old and at her first doctor’s appointment at 2-weeks-old, she was diagnosed with bilateral hip dysplasia. Infants are checked for this at their first visit. The doctor in Opp sent her to Children’s Hospital and at one-month-old she had a double hip replacement. “Heaven walked a little later than most kids, but she is a very fast runner today! I’m amazed at how fast she can run. Her legs are straight as boards and she’s doing just great. She’s on a soccer team and has just started school.” “Children’s Hospital is a life-saver. They have taken care of my children over and over again. We are so blessed to have them happy and healthy. God truly worked through those doctors and nurses and all I can do is just give thanks. Without Children’s Hospital, who’s to say I would even have my kids today.”