The WHY Behind Brady Wynn Foundation
And a little Question and Answer
Brady boo, the other tiny medical warriors, and their families are the true WHY behind Brady Wynn Foundation. My husband Brian and I know first-hand how overwhelming life can be when you think you’re adding a healthy baby to your family and out of nowhere your entire life is changed in an instant. I want to hold parents’ hands during this time and reassure them that they can do this! I want to give families time to process and prepare as best as they can for all that lies ahead without having to put energy into other things the foundation can easily provide.
Brian and I with our precious Brady Wynn
These were taken in June 2019 shortly after we arrived home from the hospital stay that changed our world forever.
The Brady Wynn foundation’s mission statement is “Spread awareness of neurological disorders in infants while providing assistance to families that have been impacted.”
The main focus of Brady Wynn Foundation is the Super Parent Support Program. This support program is for families who have an infant 6 months or younger that receives a severe life-threatening neurological diagnosis or suffers from an accident-causing severe neurological complications.
I spent so many days walking around like a zombie because I was way too overwhelmed to do anything except the bare minimum which was keep Brady and my two other children taken care of and I needed a village to manage that. I had a dry erase board hung right where you would come into our home, so visitors knew exactly what I needed. Sometimes what I needed was someone to hold my baby so I could just step away for a minute or clean my own home or take my other kids out. Other times I wanted someone else to step in and clean for me. I was never good at asking so the board was a perfect solution for my family. Some families do not live near relatives or do not have the support that is needed to be able to adjust to this new normal.
If Brady Wynn Foundation can make things just a little more manageable, it is fulfilling it’s purpose. I want to make sure everyone’s basic needs for survival are met.
These are the 5 needs in Maslow’s pyramid. Physiological (food and water), safety (job security, shelter), love and the feeling of belonging (friendship), Esteem (respect, strength, freedom), and self-actualization (the desire to become the most that one can be). Maslow knew if basic needs necessary for survival were met, higher-level needs could be taken care of. (Maslow’s hierarchy of Needs Theory https://www.simplypsychology.org)
We provide a grocery gift card, delivery service and to-go meals so families do not have to worry about their next meal. We provide a safe, community filled with families going through something similar so they can create friendships and have a strong feeling of belonging. Families can share their own wins to help newer families find strength when they need it most. We provide a monthly maintenance cleaning service so families can enjoy themselves and feel-good while at home. By providing these necessities we are giving families the opportunity to figure out this new life without the everyday hassle.
I am going to share the story of our first BWF infant. We had the privilege to get to know Garnet and his sweet family in December of 2022 and his very own super mama Taylor was brave and kind enough to share an update on her special boy when he turned 1.
Meet Garnet.
Sweet baby Garnet around 6 months old.
This little face is why we raise awareness of neurological complications.
“Garnet was born June 25, 2022 - at 32w0d due to premature labor. All was well until it came time to push; Garnet presented face first which led to the risk of breaking his neck. I was rushed into an Emergency C-section. Due to how far down the birth canal he was, he got stuck in my pelvis for 23 minutes with no oxygen. Garnet was revived and flown to a nearby hospital that had the cooling treatment he needed. He never received the treatment due to him being flown to another hospital to receive lifesaving treatment for a skull fracture that was a more important issue in the moment.
Baby Garnet
That is one beautiful baby.
Due to the lack of oxygen and treatment, Garnet was diagnosed with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE), Epilepsy, Hypotonia, and Hypertonia. As time goes on we have added a few more diagnoses, including Cerebral Palsy, Dystonia, and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome. Garnet is now 6 months old and thriving in his own way.
He has seizures in his sleep and started making 2-3 month milestones when he reached 7 months old. He has good days and bad days with his tone, but we are constantly working with him to improve that. Garnet in enrolled in PT, OT, and ST, and Cranial Sacral Therapy once a week as well as seeing his Neurology team once a month.
The Brady Wynn Foundation gave our family a huge sigh of relief. Children are costly, let alone medically complex children. With their kindness we were able to worry less about going to the grocery store for a while and pick up dinner on a difficult day. They also, generously, provided us with a massage certificate which was such a greatly needed gift.”
Taylor provided an up-date on how Garnet is doing on June 27th 2023.
“Garnet is thriving to the best of his abilities. We’ve added some new diagnoses since we first met your wonderful foundation. Garnet was officially diagnosed with Stage 5 Mixed Tone Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy, Cortical Visual Impairment, and Infantile Spasms. Garnet is 70-90% blind so we’ve begun vision therapy. We are learning that the chances of him walking are slim to none, but we sort of had an idea of that being the case. He just recently started babbling and using his hands (even if the movements are jerky and not very intentional). Overall, he’s a really happy boy who is the light of our life.”
Happy Birthday Garnet!
Garnet and his family along with the other neurological medical warrior babies are our WHY. We need to spread awareness of these complications to bring down the number of cases each year, help teach families the warning signs and make sure parents feel confident advocating for themselves and their precious babies.
Why do we stick to infants 6 months and younger? Our Brady was a baby. We found out about his medical complexity at 20 days old. We know infants with neurological complications and our goal is to be able to relate as closely as possible to the families we support so we can build a community for them to gain friendship and know they are not alone. We want to be there during the initial shock so families can take time to process this unexpected life changing situation without worrying about getting to the grocery store or cleaning their home.
How is your foundation funded? Our foundation is run purely from donations, sponsorships, grants, and from hosting our events. Donations can be made directly on our website https://bradywynnfoundation.org
How to become a sponsor or how to get involved? We are currently looking to add sponsors for 2024. We have a range varying from bronze all the way up to Platinum Plus. For more information please reach out to Mandy@bradywynnfoundation.org (Brady’s mama) You can also email Mandy if you want to be an event sponsor, have a fundraising idea, want to volunteer or have an idea for a collaboration.
How have you seen your organization’s work make a difference? We know the basic needs of all these very special families are being met because of our foundation. We know they will be able to have groceries delivered, have meals ready to be picked up and come home to a clean home. We get to see them thriving in our online support group that is only for parents who have gone through or are currently in our program.
Do you help in ways other than your Super Parent Support Program? Our primary focus is our Super Parent Support Program. We do, however, have some other foundations we work with. If we are not able to aid a family directly, we connect them with other resources in their area.
How do families become a part of the program? Each month, our application opens on our website, Bradywynnfoundation.org. Unfortunately, due to the high need we have to limit the number of applications we take. There are some criteria each family must meet, if they do our application process continues. The families are all presented to the Board of directors and ultimately the Brady Wynn Foundation Board of Directors votes on which families we take for the month. Families can apply more than once if they do not get selected.
We love seeing our Brady Wynn’s legacy live on in such a powerful, impactful way. My heart has never ever been more full. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this far.
With love,