Brantley

'Heart of a lion’: When Brantley was placed on the heart transplant list, he found comfort in a trusty stuffed sidekick, Roarey.   

Diagnosed with a congenital heart defect before he was born, Brantley, who has a gusto for life and can make a friend anywhere he goes, grew up knowing that his heart was special.  

Brantley received care at a local hospital closer to his home for the first three years of life.  And when he started experiencing plastic bronchitis — a condition where lymph fluid hardens in the airways and makes it hard to breathe — Brantley and his family were referred to Suren Reddy, M.D., a pediatric cardiologist at Children's Health who was on the cusp of a significant breakthrough for this condition.  

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Brantley was one of his first patients to undergo transcatheter lymphatic intervention in 2018.   

“Dr. Reddy really spoke to us like human beings. When you feel like you’re part of your child’s care, not just a care giver, it’s huge,” said Brandi, Brantley’s mom.  

The interventions relieved him of the major lymphatic leakage so that he was able to go home and continue with many of the things he loved to do – play video games and race motocross. The therapy also set him up to be a better candidate for a possible heart transplant in the future. 

“He was struggling a lot, and we were questioning whether he’d be a good candidate for transplant. We offered lymphatic intervention therapies as a bridge to transplant and are thankful to his parents for putting trust in us at Children’s Health,” said Dr. Reddy, also a professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center. 

As discussed with the family, the treatment was only a temporary remedy for Brantley's special heart. And when Brantley had subsequent flare-ups of plastic bronchitis in 2022, it was clear to the team at Children’s Health that the only real solution was to find a new heart for a little boy who yearned to live the life of a 7-year-old, climbing trees and shooting hoops.   

Dr. Reddy told Brandi and her husband, Blake, that it was time to place Brantley on the transplant list.   

A New Heart – And A New Lease on Life  

With a new heart, Brantley couldn't wait to run as fast as his friends again, play flag football and race motocross. But he also was worried.  

He knew he'd miss his special heart and its unique beat. 

With the help of his music therapist, Rachel, the duo created a new sidekick for Brantley.  

Enter Roarey: A stuffed lion that safekeeps a recording inside his furry chest of Brantley’s original heartbeat. 

“Knowing how much he loves stuffed animals, I knew that was going to be a special intervention for him to have a recording of his original heartbeat before he got his new heart,” Rachel said. “Roarey is something he can keep forever – kind of like an extension of himself. Roarey is a reminder of how special Brantley is. Roarey is there for him to hold and bring with him wherever he goes in life.”     

Within weeks of being placed on the transplant list, Brandi received the call: There was a new heart for Brantley.  

Brandi interrupted a volcano project that Brantley was working on with another transplant patient to give him the good news.   

“Mom and Dad came in and said, ‘Brantley, we need to go to your room right now.’ And then they told me that I had a new heart, and I screamed,” Brantley recounted with a boyish cackle.   

In January 2023, Brantley underwent a successful heart transplant surgery with Roarey in the operating room, supervising the procedure.  

“Now, Roarey has my old heartbeat recording. Anytime I feel lonely and miss my old heart, I press Roarey’s chest, and see, that’s the noise,” said Brantley, as he gave Roarey a squeeze. “And now, we’re best friends.”  

Several weeks later, Brantley was cleared to go home with Roarey by his side. While he is still on routine medications, Brantley visits to Children’s Health are now regular check-ins.  

Child Life – Brantley’s Lifeline During Challenges  

Brandi and Brantley rattle off the names of staff members like old friends. Indeed, that’s what they have become. Brandi cites Child Life as the light that kept Brantley going when things seemed dark. And, that Bailey, his Child Life specialist, was instrumental in keeping Brantley’s spirits up, providing sand art, music therapy and other activities. 

She and the Child Life team even arranged for extra special visitors to visit Brantley while he was in isolation – six players from the Dallas Mavericks.   

“He had a basketball hoop in his room since he couldn’t leave when he was in isolation. Josh Green and two other Mavericks players gowned up to see him. He took a few shots and finally made a basket on the seventh try. The whole room erupted. Brantley was so excited,” Brandi said.  

“That’s something that Brantley will never forget, and it never would have happened if we weren’t at Children’s Health. It meant a lot to Brantley and to us.”   

Brandi said this dedication to uplifting patients and families is the hallmark of Children’s Health. It’s also why Brandi and her family are dedicated to raising funds to support the hospital.   

Brantley’s birthdays and holidays are their favorite times to ask friends and supporters to give a little back to the hospital that gave their son his heart.   

“That's the key to happiness. There's only so much money in the world, and there's only so much that the hospital alone can do. Without donors of all shapes and sizes and amounts, none of it would be possible,” Brandi said. “It starts with just $1. It’s nice to give back.”  

Today, you can find Brantley, but you likely won’t be able to catch him. He’s busy training for motocross and flag football. In his slower moments, he practices his sports commentating skills while playing video games and continually laughs with the vigor only a boy with a new heart can manage.   

“This is why I chose pediatric cardiology,” Dr. Reddy said. “I can help patients and families, and that is pure joy.”