Help Braden Through His 7th Cancer Relapse

Our names are Randa and Matt, we are Braden’s parents. Braden is currently fighting Stage 4 metastatic Osteosarcoma and has been for 6 and a half years. Braden is in the middle of his 7th relapse and just had his 13th surgery. Braden was diagnosed in July of 2018 with a tumor in his left femur. Osteosarcoma typically goes to the lungs when it starts to metastasize. He has had 7 different chemos and is about to start on his 8th and 9th chemo this week. He has had 13 surgeries, including port placement, biopsies, Limb Salvage Surgery (removing half his femur and his knee), multiple thoracotomies and thoracoscopies removing approximately 35% of his lungs, and his most recent surgery was a cryoablation to freeze the current tumors/nodules. This last surgery was on Tuesday, 1/7/2025, and was supposed to be outpatient, but he ended up in ICU on a vent for two days. He was discharged from the hospital on Friday evening on oxygen. With everything Braden has been through, them weaning him off the sedation on Wednesday to start the process of trying to get him off the vent, and him coming to (thinking he’s coming out of surgery and going home) and the look of sheer terror in his eyes not understanding what is happening and him having to be restrained… and me explaining to him what is going on and seeing the tears run down his face… was tied for the worst moment in my life (with the day of his original diagnosis), and I’m sure his also.

Braden is an amazing young man. He was diagnosed at 15 years old, he missed a lot of high school but between relapses graduated. He has his HAM Radio license (he is our old soul). He was a volunteer firefighter for our hometown for 7 months between relapses. Braden is a great human. No one deserves the hand he has been given, but he has done it with faith, grace, strength, and resilience.

Braden is currently on SSDI, and his fiancée has gone part-time at her job to help him get to appointments and help him overall. This GoFundMe is going to help him pay bills, get to and from hospital appointments, and pay for any cash referral appointments that Medicaid will not pay for… which has been quite a few things because stuff is ‘out of network’. Thank you for any help that is offered. Prayers and good thoughts are beyond welcome.

#jamesbradenstrong