Donate to James Bravo: Our Family's Rock

Today, I want to lift up James Bravo. Our family is so very thankful for this man in being a part of our existence.

I believe my brother, Eric, was first introduced to "Bravo" in 1996 & those two were on a mission in rehabilitating their lives. They have remained friends & used phrases to one another as "brothers". In fact, Eric's exact words to me yesterday went like this, "three years ago, I was going thru a hell of a time where I was dealing with a lot of depression and feeling like I was really alone in this world.... I had stopped in to say hi to everybody for a min and Bravo gave me a ride back to my house and he had given me enough positive encouragement that it helped me get out of my box!"

My mother, Tereasa, & Bravo formed a very unique & strong bond through the years due to her genuine & caring devotion that she shares toward people. He had been missing that motherly figure & he grew fond of Mom, in which I would joke about them being BFF's because of their quirky little inuendoes they created amongst each other.

My son, Michael, has been a big fan of Bravo, mainly because he has been the stable male adult figure in this family & I'd have to say, that Bravo lives vicariously through Michael in return at times, which keeps him young at heart.

Lastly, I am Chrissy, the family member that dated Bravo about 10 years ago. Bravo had relocated & that intimate relationship ended, however a few years later he had found himself back in Wichita, living on & off with us for several years. On December 19, 2022 I was attacked by my dog & during my healing journey Bravo spent countless nights & days at my bedside. He was able to show me many selfless acts in caring for me & keeping my spirits high through laughter & positivity. After seven reconstructive surgeries and endless months of physical therapy & speech therapy I had decided to relocate myself in hopes to find a new beginning after my accident. However, I too, found myself returning after less than a year back to Wichita. Bravo & I reconnected & have been inseparable ever since.

James has a love for riding his Harley. He was always "catching wind" & visiting friends in his spare time.

On Wednesday, May 14th, James was in a horrific motorcycle accident. He was on his way back home where he & his Harley was thrown & then struck by incoming traffic. Luckily he had not acquired any head injuries or broken limbs. However, he was rushed to Wesley Hospital in Wichita, KS & put in full sedation where they performed an emergency surgery to find a severed liver & possible other mid section injuries.

James was put in a medical induced coma & undergone 3 major surgeries before he woke up to us. Shortly after they took him off the ventilator that week, they performed a very extensive, meticulous, five hour plus surgery with two Liver Specialist Surgeons. He had full removal of his gallbladder & spleen with 1/2 of his pancreas & 1/2 of his liver also removed. The first week was critical, not only was his body adapting, his mind & mental health was extremely chaotic. The second week was a mixture of finding the right meds that would allow him to heal, ease the pain, & stay awake enough to gain strength again. The third week he became septic & he returned to Surgical ICU. Although the Trauma Team has been on top of his vitals & are being more conscientious in his wound care, he still is very susceptible to infection & will have to continue to monitor his white blood cell count & guard himself from viruses and/or infections throughout his entire life now.

James hasn't begun eating or drinking yet, he is getting his nutrients by a feeding tube, he has undergone 3 blood transfusions, 2 ribs were broke & both lungs have collapsed leading to chest tubes for removal of fluid in the lungs, he has had a total of 5 tubes that drain outside of his body reserving the function of the organs that he still has (in which he has learned to empty these bags himself being careful not to cross contaminate), & the road rash & healing of his right ear are still on the mend. He can go to the bathroom on his own but in order to heal he can not eat or drink anything but ice chips until he shows signs of healing on the inside. Today, he has begun some physical therapy & is gathering strength to walk about. Hopefully they will be moving him to a regular room & out of Surgical ICU this week.

Since this transition or, for a better lack of words, this life changing event for Bravo, has brought his mother Kim, brother Cody, & daughter Nona back into his life. His mother & brother both live in Hutchinson & his daughter has lived in New Orleans for the past 11 years & they have not been in contact with him for over a year! It's quite bitter sweet that the accident has made that bond & connection much stronger than before. James Bravo has abundant love in all directions.

In short, our family has had the pleasure of having this man in our lives for many years. He keeps us grounded, tells us how it is, & he has been the antidote in keeping us together at times. When we hear a motorcycle drive by we think it's Bravo pulling in the drive. When we are not ourselves & can't find the happy medium, we struggle to hear some words of encouragement from him while he's not home. And when we have become accustomed to the piece of the puzzle that isn't here, you long for their return.

We are trying to gather funds to support James Bravo for short term housing (rent) & utilities for when it's time to come home. This will be a safe place and a clean, sterile environment to heal. He will be learning to cook & eat much differently to suite his body's needs for survival. Any further funding will be for hospital expenses that weren't covered with insurance and/or disability if & when he qualifies. Please help us prepare for his homecoming to ensure a peace of mind while he starts his second chance at life.