Brantley's Care Team

Suren Reddy, M.D., Pediatric Cardiologist at Children’s Health℠ and Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center

Taking care of kids is such a rewarding experience. Caring for patients with complex congenital heart disease is my passion. 

I first met Brantley and his parents over a video call during a very difficult phase of his surgical recovery. He had received care at a different hospital, and his primary cardiologist reached out to us to ask how our team at Children’s Health could help Brantley.   

Back then, Brantley was losing a lot of lymphatic fluids daily, which put him at high risk for infections and many other complications. The procedure he needed is one that not many hospitals in the entire country or world perform.   

 I spoke to his parents about one of our newer programs that tackled such high-risk procedures. We were still putting pieces of the puzzle together, and we didn’t have a lot of patients who had gone through it, but we had the resources to help Brantley.   

I sat down with his parents and explained every single step – where we might hit roadblocks and how we would respond to different scenarios. I told them we are in this together. We had lots of open and honest discussions as to how things could go.   

I'm very thankful that they put their trust in us, in me and the team that we have built here at Children's Health. Thanks to that trust, we are now able to provide these services to many more patients. 

And this also is thanks to our generous donors, whose funds to the Children’s Heart Center helped me build the lymphatic intervention program at Children’s Health. Several of the successful transcatheter innovative programs we have built here over the past decade are only possible if you have financial support paired with a vision for what we need for the future of pediatric medicine. This is how you move the needle.   

Now Brantley’s doing amazing. I'm so happy to see that he got his new heart, to see him flourish like this after is a blessing. This is why I chose pediatric cardiology. It's pure joy. We don’t just treat children, but also their entire family 

Bailey Bedichek, Child Life Specialist

From the moment I met Brantley, I could tell what a light he is. He’s so full of energy. Even before his transplant, he’s always been talk, talk, talk.

He's been a cardiac patient since he was a baby, and he's been through multiple surgeries. His parents were told he would eventually need a heart transplant, but they had hoped it would be when he was older so that he could make the decision.   

The time came sooner than they’d hoped. He was only eight years old. That was a little after  the time I met him.

At one point during his hospitalization, Brantley had to be isolated to protect him from outside germs. He wasn’t able to visit our playrooms, so I brought the fun to his bedside. We played different card and board games so he could enjoy his time at the hospital as much as possible.

When it was time for Brantley’s transplant, I explained everything in a way that was appropriate for his age so that he understood what his surgery and recovery would be like. Sometimes, that's a hard conversation for parents to have with their kids. As Child Life specialists, our goal is to comfort kids throughout their care and decrease any anxiety they might feel by making sure they know what’s going on with their bodies.  Our services come at no cost to patient families, and we rely on donations from our generous community to support our work. Oftentimes, we’re able to give donated teddy bears to help children before a difficult procedure or cope with an extensive hospital stay. I am a facility dog handler, and financial donations also support that program to provide emotional support to patients and families through pet therapy.

Brantley is now thriving more than a year later. It's so amazing to see him now. He’s so positive. I always loved that about him. Spending time with him always lifted my spirits. He’s an amazing kid. That’s why we do what we do – to give kids like Brantley another chance at life.

Zoe Nolan, Diagnostic Imaging Technologist

As radiologic technologists, we go anywhere we’re needed in the hospital. My favorite part is seeing the patients on the floors.

While completing an X-ray on Brantley about two or three years ago, I noticed he had a Dallas Cowboys pillow. I love the Cowboys, so I started asking questions about the team. I looked up at the clock to find we had been chatting for 20 minutes about football player stats and the playoffs. We really bonded over that.

From that moment, I always looked forward to going up and doing his X-rays. Cardiac patients have always had a special place in my heart, so I would always peek in and see how Brantley was doing when I was up on the floor. There were times I would come on the weekends and hang out and watch football games with him.

I remember stopping by his room one day, and he wasn’t in there. I wondered if he had transferred rooms. I later found out he had completed his heart transplant. I hugged his mom after he got back. It was so amazing to find out he had gotten one so soon. It was the best feeling ever.

Something about Brantley’s spunky personality really spoke to me. We really hit it off. We always have something to talk about. He's so full of life. After everything he's been through, it's amazing to watch him be so courageous and happy all the time.

No matter what he's going through, he always wants to spread joy to other people.

Rachel Gan, Music Therapist

I first heard about music therapy when I was in high school. My piano teacher at the time sparked my interest in the field. It was a way for me to help people through music.

Music therapy helps the young patients and families who come to Children’s Health cope with the reason they’re at the hospital. It helps kids express themselves and process what they’re going through. It makes it all a little bit less scary.

Teaching children how to play an instrument, for example, can be really empowering in a time when they don't have a lot of control over how their life is going because of their diagnosis or their illness.

I met Brantley before his heart transplant. He wore bright green glasses at the time. We jammed out to different instruments, like the harmonica. His stuffed animals were often part of his band or the audience that would cheer him on.

One day, he shared some of the worries he had about his upcoming heart transplant and what it would mean for his identity. I told him that we could record his heartbeat and place it into a stuffed animal for him to keep before he got his new heart. It’d be something for him to listen to and hug and bring wherever he went later in life.

He chose a lion and named it Roarey, of course. He even brought Roarey along into the operating room for his heart transplant. Children's Health has all these resources and services to truly enhance every kiddo's experience. We could not do it without the generous donors and the people who are willing to give to support what we're doing here.

Zaida Cornstubble, RN

I originally wanted to be a veterinarian. I loved caring for animals, but eventually realized I wanted to do more.  I now work as a pediatric cardiology nurse at Children’s Health, where my grandmother also worked at in another department for nearly two decades.

I met Brantley during a night shift. I already knew that he was going to be larger than life because of what other nurses had told me. He has the biggest smile I’ve ever seen and we’ve been best buds ever since.

Brantley is thoughtful, inquisitive and curious. He has a thirst for life that is infectious. At least once during my shifts, we would get to read a book together before he went to bed. Reading was such a big part of my childhood, and I love sharing that with our patients.

I was his nurse the day that Brantley found out he was getting a new heart. I immediately started crying. He was kind of shocked at first, and you could tell he got a bit overwhelmed. Then he exploded with excitement before going around to tell everybody he was getting a new heart. It was beautiful to get to be part of that moment.

A lot and these families are going through some of the most difficult times of their lives when they come to the hospital. Making those times easier or bringing them joy in any small way is why I do what I do.