This is from Brandon's dad,

Our son will always be with us, whenever we sing or build a bonfire or catch a fish, his spirit continues to be a source of strength and encouragement. We know we were blessed to have such a great kid, and we miss him so much. These were a few things we wanted to share with everyone.

Though Brandon lived near Olds, his most cherished times were when he got to go to Rosedale and spend time with Dad. He had great friends and family welcoming him with open arms and he felt much love from them all. Of course he loved to spend time with his family at home, but nothing beat those times with Dad. They would play music, watch the Flames games together and build huge bonfires almost nightly in the summer.

Brandon was quite the little business man. We had a large garden and Brandon decided to start this own vegetable stand. He made his own sign and Dad helped build the cart to tow behind the old Toro. Everyday he would wash and bag the vegetables to take to the campground. He would load up the cart with the coolers, chair, umbrella and walkman. He would stay there all day and made enough money for spending in Radium on our summer getaway. He'd come home with new friends and an invitation to breakfast the next day.

Brandon always had this thing about giving his pets haircuts. When Brandon died, his favourite dog, Lucky, was sporting quite the style on her head from the previous week's cut. (Note from Mom, his horse was also sporting a 'new do'.) Brandon and Lucky were inseparable. They would play baseball, hockey and golf. Lucky would get a few head shots during hockey, but wouldn't give up unless Brandon did.

One of his highlights of his life with us was when he got to go and help with the fireworks. His Uncle Randy was fire chief in Big Valley. Brandon and Dad rode in the truck to the top of the hill. Brandon was decked out with the fireman's hat and goggles, lying atop of the truck watching the fireworks. He had the best seat.

Patti used to make hot cocoa and keep it in the coffee pot to keep it warm. Brandon always only saw the final result, never how it was made. When his cousin Kevin was over, Brandon decided to make a pot for them. Kevin came in the house and saw Brandon staring at the coffee pot. He had proceeded to make cocoa the same way as coffee, filter and all. The milk started to boil over and made a terrible mess. Brandon and Kevin decided to clean the pot with vinegar. Needless to say it didn't work.

One of Brandon's favourite Aunts was Auntie Janet. Brandon would spend time at Auntie Janet's and Uncle Lyle's during the summer and cousin Tyler and Brandon would play hockey; cousin Tyler was one of Brandon's heroes. Janet would dote on Brandon and he was heart-broken when his aunt passed away from cancer when he was 12. He even shaved his head in her honour to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society. Her passing affected him deeply.

On July 23, 2005, Brandon's last weekend, he spent the day in Craigmyle running for candy at the parade and checking out the sights. His Dad was in the band for the street dance and Brandon helped set up and take down the equipment. During the dance Brandon was up dancing and playing Hide & Seek with all the other teenagers. At the end of the night he went up to his Dad to tell the band how awesome they were. That comment made his Dad so proud!!

The most amazing/eerie thing about the whole night is when the band had played their last song Brandon went up to his Dad and asked him to play Knocking on Heavens Door. We know in our hearts that Brandon did not want to die that day, but whatever experimenting he was doing went horribly wrong and now he is gone from us forever. Life is not something you mess with; we just hope people, especially teens, take a moment to think about the absolute finality of such a decision.

We are going to miss you buddy.

• Introduction
• Dedication
• Medical Problems
• His Medical Team
• His Education
• His Teen Years
• His Death
• His Challenge To You
• Photo Gallery