Help Braeden Bosma Rebuild His Life

Hi, my name is Warren Bosma. I am Braeden Bosma's grandpa. The following is an overview of who Braeden is, what happened to him, and what his future, hopefully, can be.

OVERVIEW (See expanded story below):

• Braeden Bosma, Who he is, his dreams, his goals:

In the midst of COVID Braeden achieved his High School equivalent early and was exploring various interests in military service, law enforcement, and potential entrepreneurial objectives. His dream was to be independent and a successful member of society.

• Bang! His life changed in an instant. What happened?

On March 29th everything changed when Braeden suffered an accidental gunshot wound to his neck that shattered his C5 vertebra and the majority of his spinal cord. He survived thanks to the extraordinary efforts of law enforcement and emergency medical services but is paralyzed below his mid-torso.

• What Braeden’s future can be and what he needs.

Braeden has exhibited an amazingly positive attitude throughout this ordeal. Outside of health insurance, which covered much of his medical and rehabilitation treatments, other significant non-medical expenses will soon start accumulating (probably about August) including housing, transportation, and educational expenses to help him become self-supportive and as independent as possible. Your donation will help Braeden’s family cover some of these expenses and further encourage Braeden to be all that he can be. Thank you!

EXPANDED STORY:

Background:

Braeden had been eager to become independent for several years. While his aspirations had varied, to include interest the military, law enforcement, and landscaping, his desire for independence persisted. Braeden struggled to succeed in the remote learning model that COVID-19 forced upon him during his sophomore and junior high school education, so he decided to take responsibility for his future by pursuing his general education diploma. After withdrawing from high school in December 2020, Braeden focused his energy on preparing for the four GED exams; he passed them all and earned his GED on January 15th.

After accomplishing this first milestone towards independence, Braeden immediately began searching for employment; his mind was set on moving out of his parents’ house soon after he turned 18 in December 2021. He secured employment at a local fast food restaurant, where he quickly learned many positions and was trusted to help open in the mornings. While he didn’t always enjoy the work, Braeden remained committed to the job and to his future.

Incident & Injury:

On March 29th, while spending time with an acquaintance from work and another friend, Braeden, age 17, suffered an accidental gunshot wound to his neck. This damaged his esophagus, shattered his C5 vertebra, and severed the majority of his spinal cord. The individual who shot Braeden called 9-1-1 using Braeden’s phone and fled the scene, leaving Braeden to struggle to speak to the dispatcher to receive emergency medical care. Local law enforcement and emergency medical services responded and were able to stabilize Braeden and transport him to the hospital where he received further life-saving emergency medical treatment. This was followed by extensive surgery to repair Braeden’s esophagus, remove the pieces of his C5 vertebra, fuse his C4 and C6 vertebrae together, place a protective cage around the damaged portion of his spinal cord, and remove the bullet which remained behind his shoulder blade; this surgery lasted approximately 13 hours.

Impact & Treatment:

Braeden spent approximately one week in an intensive care unit where his vitals and progress were closely monitored. During this time, the extent and severity of Braeden’s injuries slowly and painfully came to light. Braeden had no feeling in, nor was he able to move his lower body below the mid-torso. Braeden was able to move his arms, shoulders, and neck, but these movements lacked control; he was also unable to move his fingers. Braeden also suffered from hyper-sensitivity, a condition common in spinal cord injury patients due to the severe trauma to the nervous system.

After Braeden’s condition stabilized he graduated to a progressive care unit where he spent two weeks receiving additional care as well as some initial physical therapy. During this time, Braeden’s positive attitude was his best asset as he worked hard to achieve each small gain and to begin to learn how to cope with his new reality. Braeden’s upper-body movement became more purposeful, but there was only little additional movement capability. His lower-body capabilities remained unchanged.

Braeden graduated again, this time to an inpatient spinal cord injury rehab facility, where he is expected to spend approximately three months. He receives physical, occupational, and psychological therapy as well as adaptive technology training and recreational therapy five days a week. So far his capabilities have progressed slightly, and with continued therapy and hard work there is hope for more. More importantly, he has learned and will continue to learn to adapt to the limited physical capabilities that he has. So far, he is able to (with accommodating tools) feed himself and brush his teeth and is learning to operate a smart phone using voice commands; he is fully mobile in a power wheelchair but is determined to be able to use a manual wheelchair as well.

Braeden’s Future & Need:

Braeden is scheduled to be discharged from the spinal cord injury rehab facility in July and will require wheelchair and other accessibility accommodations at that time. Unfortunately, Braeden’s family home cannot be easily modified to meet his needs; furthermore, the modifications required cannot be completed in time for his discharge. Braeden’s father and step-mother have made temporary arrangements to house him in a ground-floor, mostly accessible apartment with his step-brother while permanent accessible housing is arranged.

Although Braeden’s health insurance has covered and is expected to continue to cover much of his medical and rehabilitation treatments, it will not cover his temporary housing costs, accessibility modifications needed in his permanent home, or accessible transportation costs he will need to receive medical care or to engage in even simple recreational activities. The total cost for these expenses is unknown at this time but will likely be significant.

Please considering donating to help Braeden’s family pay for these unexpected and extraordinary expenses to give Braeden the best chance at achieving as much independence as possible and living a fulfilled life.