BJ Lewis Update Space

picures 2

2006-12-10T15:17:00.000-05:00

Some more pic

Pictures

2006-12-10T14:44:00.000-05:00

Here are some memorable pictures of our BJ last year. Hope you enjoy the moment as much as we did.

Christmas update

2006-12-06T09:55:00.000-05:00

We've received a few comments from our latest update. Thanks so much. We really didn't know if anyone was still checking. We appreciate your thoughtfulness.

When I get some help this weekend, we will try to put together some pictures to post along with some comments....a kind of Christmas gift. How about that? Keep looking.

Marty

Christmas

2006-12-02T20:24:00.000-05:00

The Christmas season is upon us. Obviously, it's tremendously difficult to go through this most wonderful time of the year under these circumstances. We're trying to mix things up a little and deal with it as best as we can. Thanks you again for your presence in our lives. Please keep us in your prayers. Merry Christmas.

Marty & Paula

Update & Thank You

2006-10-12T15:59:00.000-05:00

Family and friends -

Paula and I are finally back. We stayed on in Omaha a few more days and then ran away to Colorado for a few more. It took another few days to get our legs under us back home.

I hope you received a message that there is this update (which is why you are now reading this). The reason is that there are so many of you that we wish to thank. So many attended the services in Durham and Omaha, and we had an opportunity to connect with some of you. Unfortunately, we could not have enough time with most, and we're sorry about this. Please know that you mean the world to us. Friends, classmates, teammates, teachers, coaches, neighbors and family all showed up strong when we needed you. The Church of the Good Shepherd was so kind as to let us use their facility with little notice and we thank them so much. We received probably 15 cash donations with no identification. We also received donations through the RBC bank account we listed on this blog. To those people, we acknowledge your gift and thank you for your kindness. We don't know your names, but we know there are many that made contributions.

We have heard from many that this blog was important to them as they followed the events of Brandon's accident. We think this was worth the effort and hope you feel the same. If you have any thoughts at this point, we sure would like to hear from you.

Coming home to the empty nest is as stark as we imagined. We are really struggling with the loss of our dear BJ. Please keep him and us in your prayers for awhile. As more time passes, it's natural that life goes on and we will become distant. For many of you, Brandon was the link between us...and he is gone. If you will, it would be nice to hear from you from time to time. If not, we understand and thank you for being a part of the situation.

We don't know what more to say. Thank you. We love you. "God bless us, everyone!"

Lewis family

Mmorial Service - Tuesday Night

2006-09-19T21:05:00.000-05:00

Friends -

For those of you able to attend the memorial service in Durham, the Lewis family sends our gratitude and thanks. Over 250 people signed the register. We weren't sure of how many would or could attend. We are so pleased that you came out. All of you are a piece of BJ. You were a part of his life. We really enjoyed those who shared a bit about Brandon. We will eternally hope that you keep him in your hearts and minds through the years.

My sage advise I again share with you. Carpe diem - Seize the day! Don't put off what you can do today. Hug your family and tell them how much you care. Take that vacation or trip, audition for that play, take up the instrument you always thought of. Call an old friend you haven't seen for a long time. Whatever it is for you....do it sooner than later.

Kids, your parents and family love you so much. Do what they tell you and what is expected of you. You're not being punished, you're being cared for and loved and protected. That's what you want from your parents. Make good decisions.....be safe. Care for one another.

Brandon is in the arms of God. And he is watching down upon us all. May God bless you!

Lewis family

Monday Night update

2006-09-18T17:50:00.000-05:00

Family & friends -

The Lewis family is very moved by the generousity of so many. We appreciate your concerns, messages, phone calls, food, prayers, and lots of love. We can never thank you all enough for all you have done for us.

A service has been scheduled for Omaha. Viewing will be Thursday morning, September 21 at 9:00am. Service will be at 10:00am followed by the burial service at Forest Lawn. We welcome all who wish to attend. The service will be at Northside Christian Church at 5555 Larimore Ave.

Time is moving both fast and slow for us. We have spoken with many. There are so many others that we have not had time to chat. We hope as time moves on that we will h ave the opportunity to chat. That would be so nice. Brandon was the focal point of our life. He will always be in our hearts.

Lewis family

Memorial Service Information

2006-09-17T18:10:00.000-05:00

Family & friends -

Thanks for your continued support. The last couple days continue to be as difficult as the past week.

Arrangements have been made for a memorial service in Durham. We welcome anyone who would like the opportunity to say "Good-bye" to BJ to attend.

Here are the details for the service:

Tuesday, September 19
Gathering 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Service 6:30pm - 7:00pm
Continued gathering 7:00pm - 8:15pm

The Church of the Good Shepherd
3741 Garrett Rd.
Durham, NC

A memorial will also be held at Rogers-Herr Middle School in the near future. Details to follow.

BJ will be transported to Omaha for burial. Services in Omahawill be at Northside Christian Church likely this Thursday afternoon. Again, all are welcome to attend. Details are being worked out for this service.

Donations

2006-09-16T12:17:00.000-05:00

People have been asking about a Memorial Fund for Brandon. One has been set up in his name. If you would like to contribute, the bank is....

RBC Centura
acct# 0212291735

You can stop by any local branch with the acct #, and that would be sufficient.

To mail in.... Check payable to Brandon Lewis Funds

RBC Centura
Attn: CCMD
PO Box 19668
Charlotte, NC 28219

Thank you for all of your support.

Good Bye to my Brother

2006-09-16T11:53:00.000-05:00

Brandon,

You were the best brother I could have ever asked for. I cannot think of a single time in which I was not happy when I was around you. I cannot imagine life without my little Beej. You were my world, and now it is gone. The whole in my heart will never heal. I hope someday I can make you as proud of me as I am of you. I take with me all the memories I was lucky enough to share with you. I cannot get the images of us hanging out all weeked long for Labor Day out of my head. I saw a new side of you I had never seen before. It made me the happiest and PROUDEST older brother in the world. I will love you always.

Ryan

Saturday update

2006-09-16T10:01:00.000-05:00

Family & friends -

Brandon passed away early Saturday morning around 3 am. It was within a couple hours of exactly one week from the accident. He was 12 years 7 months and 5 days.

In keeping with Brandon's spirit, the family decided to donate organs and tisssue. Lives and families in the Triangle area and in Texas, Illinois and New York will have their prayers answered because of Brandon. We wish the all the best and are praying for them.

We are still getting information for donations and memorials. More information will follow. Please stay posted.

We've been contacted by the local newspaper, News and Observer, about doing an article on Brandon. I have written a little something for them to use. Maybe it will make it in the paper...maybe not. Anyway, here it is:

"Brandon Jacob Lewis, BJ, was one great kid. He was able to be a leader in school, on the ball field or with friends. He was also very good at being the wind beneath the wings of others. He was comfortable with who he was. He enjoyed interacting with people of all ages and backgrounds.

Brandon was very unselfish. Although there may have been an adversary or two, almost everyone really liked Brandon. He was a ray of sunshine. He always did what was needed to get along with all that came across his path. He was a giver... not a taker. Outside of being finicky with food, Brandon was an explorer. He was always inquisitive and wanting to learn. He was well read and frequently took up books several grade levels above his class. He was learning to play the guitar, piano and his trumpet.

Brandon loved to travel. Frequent camping trips combined with family vacations were favorites. This summer, Brandon spent a three weeks visiting Block Island, Rhode Island, Boston, New Hampshire, Maine and New York to see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Labor Day found him in Washington at the Air & Space Museum near Dulles airport with a day trip to Gettysburg. Trips to Myrtle Beach, Annapolis, Charleston, Washington D.C. Baltimore were common. He also loved camping in Colorado and Wyoming. Brandon had the opportunity to go on two Caribbean cruises the last few years.

Brandon was on the Hope Valley Swim team for one year, several seasons with the Woodcroft soccer league and basketball league. He also played 3 years of baseball for the South Durham Little League. He was a real fan of the game and loved his trip to Fenway Park this summer. His final two little league games found him hitting two game winning home runs over the fence which is pretty rare.

Brandon was just an easy going kid who loved being around friends and family. He loved life and for twelve years lived his life to the fullest. He will be sorely missed by all that knew him. If you didn’t know Brandon, it’s unfortunate. You would have loved him, too."

Friday Morning Update

2006-09-15T11:01:00.000-05:00

Family and friends -

Today, what we have to offer is not what we wanted to do. Unfortunately, Brandon remains in grave condition. He has had multiple set backs in the last 36 hours. The drain did not work as well as we had wanted it to. All of the medications were maxed out to the limits. Brandon was still not responding. There are no other courses of treatment available to Brandon in his condition.

After having multiple discussions with the ICU doctors, we realized all hope was gone. His ICP levels (pressure on the brain) continued to clime higher and higher to extremely dangerous levels. Around 1:30 the doctors concluded that brain death was imminent. He is being tested this morning to determine if there is any brain activity in which we expect none. At this point, we are resigned to accept what has happened to Brandon as terminal. Brandon will be leaving us soon, likely today.

At this point, many you have all the general information on Brandon's condition. Two accounts have been set up to accept donations and memorials. Information will be coming out soon about this.

Brandon is a great kid. He has brought joy and happiness to almost all that have come to know him...only if even a little. We can't even begin to share with you how devastated we all are, and we know you also will be affected by his leaving. For this, we share our prayers and concerns with you in your time of loss.

And we thank you for your prayers and concerns for Brandon. They have meant so much to our family. I know we all feel cheated with his loss. He is everything we could ever hope for as a son, brother, grandparent, family member, student, class mate or friend. To all of you, we want you to love your family and live life to the fullest.

"Good night , sweet prince. And may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

God bless you....and God bless Brandon.

Again, our thanks to you all. A memorial service in Durham and Omaha will be scheduled shortly with details to follow. We think there will be a memorial at Bandon's school....Rogers-Herr also.

Lewis family

_______________________________________

For those of you who want more details on Brandon's condition, we will do so at this time. We will endeavor to be delicate, but some of you may not want this additional information. If this is the case, please do not read the following:

Brandon had another CT scan late in the afternoon. We were able to see the results which were devastating. He has suffered a series of strokes which show up as dark spots on the scan. There were multiple large spots throughout. A dark spot in one place is something that may be able to be dealth with somewhat. The severity of his condition is very apparent. If Brandon were to make it back to conscienceness, he certainly would have multiple deficiencies. I won't get into the whole list, but you can imagine the problems he would face.

His pupils are fixed and not responsive and he does not respond to pain which is registered as increased blood pressure. Physicians at Duke University Hospital tell us they have not had a patient return from this level of damage.

The only recourse at this point is to place Brandon in a drug induced coma. This is dangerous as this brings brain activity practically to zero. Doctors are doubtful if they could revive him from the coma. The primary risks of this are pneumonia and a weak heart. If we thought we could survive this and maintain somewhat quality of life, we would want this for Brandon. The fact is that the damage is severe enough to not warrent the treatment.

Another treatment is to remove a part of the skull to allow for the swelling. But Brandon is now in such a weakened state that he would not survive an operation. Drug therapy to draw off fluid include a saline solution and Manatrol. His system cannot handle more of this treatment. Increased blood pressure is needed to neutralize the pressure on the brain which is stessing his heart.

As you see, Brandon is up against obstacles he cannot overcome. It is difficult beyond imagination to accept this path. As a family, we are stuggling mightily.

Wednesday night Update

2006-09-13T20:27:00.000-05:00

For all of you who do not know me, I am Ryan Lewis. I will be getting on in the evenings to try to provide a few more details from the hospital as they happen. So far today has not been as encouraging as we once hoped. Brandon has had some complications. Generally nurses try to turn their patients every couple of hours to change their body positions to prevent fluid building up in the lungs. They tried to turn him last night, but Brandon did not react well to it. Therefore, they layed him back down on his back, which he seemed to like.

The nurses checked him about 8 am and heard some "gunk" or (fluid) in his lungs. They then went ahead and "suctioned" the fluid out of his lungs. This can be a little irratating, and Brandon's ICP ( Internal Cranial Pressure) had increased due to some of these activities. The hospital then decided they had used as much medicine to control the pressure, and blood pressure at safe levels as they could.

This afternoon, we were informed that they wanted to do a preventative measure to help Brandon's recovery. A small tube was placed in the his head to drain excess fluid and relieve the pressure. There were no complications in this procedure and seems to be working. The pressure has come back down to safer levels and we hope it will continue to do so.

BJ Lewis Update Space

2006-09-13T13:30:00.000-05:00

Wednesday AM 9-13-2006
BJ has had a little set back his brain pressure has increased and the doctors have had to change treatment options. He is having a procedure to relieve the pressure so the next few days will be extremely important. Keep praying that BJ's pressure will come back under control. We will keep updating this page whenever we get any news. Thank you all for your outpouring of support.

Tuesday PM, September 12, 2006

2006-09-12T19:43:00.000-05:00

As of 4:00 PM Brandon is still in critical but stable condition. Here are some of the positive signs: they are still decreasing his medications, his brain pressure is staying within the limits the doctors want to see, and the physical therapist has been in to assess his mobility. The family is very grateful for all the outpouring of support. Please think of your favorite "Brandon" story to share with him and forward them to me through this site and I will do my best to get them up for sharing.
Keep praying! To God be the glory!

Tuesday AM

2006-09-12T12:45:00.000-05:00

As of Tuesday At 10:00 BJ is still stable his brain Pressure has been down "hallelujah" and the doctors have slowly been removing the medications, this is a good sign because they are comfortable enough to do it. This is a very crucial time as the body starts to self manage again. Keep up the prayers because as was said by a very wise man today "God is driving the bus". Please feel free to express your love and stories as we pray that this space will become part of Brandon's recovery. I hope to get some picture albums linked shortly.

2006-09-11T14:28:00.000-05:00

Hi, if you found this space you are probably looking for information on Brandon's condition. On Saturday morning, September 9,2006, Brandon was struck by a car while walking down Cook Road in Durham, NC with three friends. Police and rescue crews were on the scene within a few minutes, Praise GOD!!! Brandon was transported to Duke University Medical Center Emergency Room, where he was stabilized and transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit, also known as PICU. Brandon is in critical condition with severe head trauma, facial fractures to the right eye area, various torn ligaments, and numerous cuts and abrasions. He is currently in a coma, on a respirator, and being kept sedated to allow his body time to heal. His family is rotating their time between visits and getting updates from doctors. ONLY family can visit Brandon at this time. As of noon Monday September 11, 2006, Brandon's condition is critical but stable. They are monitoring his brain pressure and until it levels out he will remain in PICU. The family is very grateful for the prayers and covets your continued prayers. As you can imagine this is a very stressful time so please use the utmost discretion when making the decision to place phone calls or visits. For offers of help and support, we, Debbie and Tim, will be helping let the family to focus on Brandon through maintaining this page. We can be contacted at 919-451-7258 EST. or E-mail at tim.scott4@hotmail.com