Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is stealing our son.
Donation protected
He’s Brave. He’s Bright. He’s 15. He’s my hero And He’s Running Out of Time.
Our son Brandon is 15 years old, battling Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and completely dependent on us for everything. We’ve drained our savings, cashed in our 401(k)s, and are just trying to give him some comfort and dignity—like being able to shower safely or move freely through our home. He only has a few years left, and we’re out of options. We’re asking for help. Please read below to learn more about his story.
My name is Eric Hale, and I’m reaching out on behalf of my 15-year-old son, Brandon, who has been battling Duchenne muscular dystrophy for the last 10 years. This progressive, life-limiting disease has taken his strength, mobility, and independence—but never his spirit.
Brandon is incredibly smart and fully aware of everything happening around him. He hasn’t had true independence in years and needs help with everything. We hand-bathe him because he can’t access the tub or shower, and he uses a portable urinal because our bathroom is too small to get him to the toilet. For other needs, we manage as best we can—quietly and with compassion—doing what we must, the way you might for a much younger child. It’s exhausting, emotional, and far from dignified—for any of us.
He recently got a larger wheelchair, which was thankfully covered because we hit our $10,000 out-of-pocket maximum—like we do every year. One major reason we reach that limit so quickly is the cost of his steroid medication, which alone is over $3,000 a month until we hit our deductible. Brandon doesn’t have the strength to get around on his own, so we have to push him everywhere he goes in the house. While the new wheelchair was necessary, many of our doorways are too narrow for it. We’re still relying on his smaller, outdated chair just to move him around the house. If we don’t widen the doorways soon, he’ll eventually be stuck spending all his time in the family room.
We’ve made many sacrifices. My wife had to quit her job to care for him full-time. Our daughter Emily, a 4.0 high school student accepted to Texas Tech, has put college on hold to help us financially. We also bought a used 2018 wheelchair-accessible van, knowing it would stretch us thin. For years, we lifted Brandon in and out of our old SUV, but it became unsafe and terrifying for him. Even though the van was necessary, the payments are still crippling.
Like many families, we’ve also been hit hard by rising housing costs—our mortgage has increased by 50% over the last decade due to insurance and property taxes. On top of that, we’ve blown through our savings and had to cash in our 401(k)s just to survive. It’s just one more weight on top of everything else.
We’re asking for help to:
• Widen doorways so we can move him freely in his new wheelchair
• Install an accessible shower and modify the bathroom for safety and dignity
• Cover uncovered medical needs, home care costs, and basic expenses as a single-income household .
We aren’t asking for luxuries—we just want to make our son’s final years as comfortable and dignified as possible.
Every donation, every share, every kind word means more than we can express.
Thank you for standing with us.
With gratitude,
Eric Hale
Our son Brandon is 15 years old, battling Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and completely dependent on us for everything. We’ve drained our savings, cashed in our 401(k)s, and are just trying to give him some comfort and dignity—like being able to shower safely or move freely through our home. He only has a few years left, and we’re out of options. We’re asking for help. Please read below to learn more about his story.
My name is Eric Hale, and I’m reaching out on behalf of my 15-year-old son, Brandon, who has been battling Duchenne muscular dystrophy for the last 10 years. This progressive, life-limiting disease has taken his strength, mobility, and independence—but never his spirit.
Brandon is incredibly smart and fully aware of everything happening around him. He hasn’t had true independence in years and needs help with everything. We hand-bathe him because he can’t access the tub or shower, and he uses a portable urinal because our bathroom is too small to get him to the toilet. For other needs, we manage as best we can—quietly and with compassion—doing what we must, the way you might for a much younger child. It’s exhausting, emotional, and far from dignified—for any of us.
He recently got a larger wheelchair, which was thankfully covered because we hit our $10,000 out-of-pocket maximum—like we do every year. One major reason we reach that limit so quickly is the cost of his steroid medication, which alone is over $3,000 a month until we hit our deductible. Brandon doesn’t have the strength to get around on his own, so we have to push him everywhere he goes in the house. While the new wheelchair was necessary, many of our doorways are too narrow for it. We’re still relying on his smaller, outdated chair just to move him around the house. If we don’t widen the doorways soon, he’ll eventually be stuck spending all his time in the family room.
We’ve made many sacrifices. My wife had to quit her job to care for him full-time. Our daughter Emily, a 4.0 high school student accepted to Texas Tech, has put college on hold to help us financially. We also bought a used 2018 wheelchair-accessible van, knowing it would stretch us thin. For years, we lifted Brandon in and out of our old SUV, but it became unsafe and terrifying for him. Even though the van was necessary, the payments are still crippling.
Like many families, we’ve also been hit hard by rising housing costs—our mortgage has increased by 50% over the last decade due to insurance and property taxes. On top of that, we’ve blown through our savings and had to cash in our 401(k)s just to survive. It’s just one more weight on top of everything else.
We’re asking for help to:
• Widen doorways so we can move him freely in his new wheelchair
• Install an accessible shower and modify the bathroom for safety and dignity
• Cover uncovered medical needs, home care costs, and basic expenses as a single-income household .
We aren’t asking for luxuries—we just want to make our son’s final years as comfortable and dignified as possible.
Every donation, every share, every kind word means more than we can express.
Thank you for standing with us.
With gratitude,
Eric Hale
Organizer
Eric Hale
Organizer
Denton, TX