Saturday, October 4, 2025
It’s hard to believe we’ve already passed the seven-day mark since Brennen’s crash. In that time, he’s made incredible strides, blowing past milestones and proving even his care team wrong at every turn. Brennen is truly one of the strongest people I know. Physically, he’s nothing short of a superhero.
“This week alone, we’ve heard everything from “he might need a lung transplant” to “he might not survive.”
The blur of sleepless days and nights has made it hard to even keep track of what day it is. But through all of it, Brennen has continued to shock everyone.
He wasn’t expected to be off ECMO this soon or even off the ventilator. Yet as of this morning, he has been breathing on his own for almost 18 hours, with no ventilator support. He’s holding his oxygen levels steady and coughing like he needs to. Last night was tough restless and painful as his lungs worked to clear but he pushed through. Today they are removing his arterial lines, central line, and Foley catheter, which is another huge step forward.
We’ve also learned that Brennen has a traumatic brain injury (TBI). On a scale of 1–3, with 3 being the most severe, he is a 2. That means he has serious brain injuries, but the true extent of what it means for his recovery will only become clear over months or even years. Right now, he’s blinking to communicate, holding up fingers on his right side, wiggling his toes, and even squeezing with his left hand despite some weakness. I asked home to flip me off if he wanted more pain medication, he closed his first and pushed that middle finger up, but not all the way. Telling us his sense of understanding is more great then we had anticipated. The road ahead will be long full of therapy, rehabilitation, and continued inpatient care but every sign of progress gives us hope.
I’ve never been one to believe strongly in the power of prayer, but I’ve seen firsthand this week just how powerful it can be. This experience is something I would never wish on anyone. No parent should ever have to watch their child endure what Brennen has faced.
And we cannot say “thank you” enough. To our friends and family, who have surrounded us with constant love and encouragement. To our community, who has stepped up in ways we never could have imagined. To our employers and coworkers, who have shown patience, flexibility, and unwavering support including the constant communication and encouragement from Brennen’s Guard unit and the kind words from his coworkers at ADM. I may not have spoken directly to each of you, but please know that the messages, updates, and prayers being passed along all reach us and they reach Brennen too.
To Brennen’s former teachers at Northeast, who have reached out with such heartfelt words and to the students and staff at Prince of Peace in Clinton, who sent cards from every grade level that filled our hearts and brought so much light into these heavy days.
The outpouring of prayers, meals, messages, donations, and simple words of hope have carried us through some of the darkest moments of our lives. We feel every single one of those prayers and every bit of that support.
From the bottom of our hearts—thank you.
~ Dad