22 months of pure joy
Meet Brayden
Before he was the reason for a foundation, he was a little boy who loved dinosaurs, hated bedtime, and could make a room full of strangers laugh. This page is for him.
He was so much fun
People say that about children, but Brayden really was. He was funny on purpose. He knew what worked: the mac and cheese grin, the exaggerated gasp, the dinosaur stomp across the kitchen, and he'd look right at you to make sure you caught it.
He was affectionate in a full-body way. He'd run at you from across a room with his arms already up. He'd pat the dog with the gentlest hand you've ever seen a toddler use. He'd press his forehead against yours and hold it there for a second longer than you expected.
He was curious about absolutely everything: how a light switch worked, where the bubbles went, what happened if he pressed this button twice. He didn't want to explore alone, though. He wanted you with him, narrating.
And he was loud. Gloriously, joyfully loud. He roared like a T-Rex because he thought it was the funniest thing a person could do. We think he was right.
His favorite things
What Brayden loved
Dinosaurs
T-Rex above all. He'd roar until he ran out of breath, then do it again.
Disney
Mickey on the TV, songs at full volume, and a dance that was mostly knees.
Books before bed
Same three, every night, and he'd hand them back for one more round.
Animals
The dog, the cat, every bird outside the window. He greeted all of them.
Bubbles
He'd chase them across the driveway, laughing at the ones he popped.
Being funny
A loaded forkful of mac and cheese, held up with a grin, waiting for the room to lose it.
A little life, fully lived
Brayden's timeline
The day he arrived
Brayden Miles Mio joined our family and rearranged everything about it, instantly and permanently, for the better.
First smiles
Wide, gummy, unmistakable. He smiled with his whole face and he did it often.
First Christmas
A 'My Very First Christmas' hat, a mountain of presents, and a tree he could not stop staring at.
First words & first roar
The roar came fast. He learned that a dinosaur noise made grown-ups react, and he never let that go.
Toddler summer
Bubbles, basketball hoops, grass under his feet, and full-speed sprints into your arms.
Santa, and one more Christmas
Green velvet, a fireplace, and a very serious conversation with Santa about something important.
22 months
An ordinary bedtime. Bath, pajamas, books, kisses. And then a morning that never came.
Moments
A few of our favorite photographs
The night everything changed
There was no illness. No warning. No sign. Brayden had a completely normal day, a completely normal bedtime, and he did not wake up. What happened to him is called SUDC (Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood), and for most families, including ours, there is no answer at the end of it.
We tell you this not to sit in it, but because 400 families a year in the United States hear something like it, and almost nobody knows the words. Awareness is how that changes. Research is how that changes. And in the meantime, the way a family survives those first weeks is other people showing up.
"We can't change what happened. But together we can change what happens next for another family."