Brandon joined the United States Air Force on October 19, 2010 following in the military footsteps of his parent which served in the US Army for 20 years. Brandon served in the Air Force for almost four years, working in SRA geospatial intelligence. He retired from the military early, so he could pursue his education.
Just a few short months after retiring, Brandon was severely injured in a serious fall. Although the details about the fall are unclear, his injuries were catastrophic. Injuries from the accident include a crushed vertebra, broken femur, removed spleen, collapsed lung, traumatic brain injury (TBI) from hypoxia, and spinal cord injury (SCI). He also experiences PTSD, contracture in both hands, post-traumatic amnesia, headaches, migraines, memory loss (no short-term memory and long-term memory issues), loss of executive functioning, speech and language difficulties, expressive aphasia, some swallowing difficulties, sleep difficulties, fatigue, and nausea. Despite the seriousness of his injuries, Brandon has been able to participate in setting goals for his future with his community support specialist and case manager through Neuro Community Care.
Brandon has always loved music and anything dealing with the arts, so when music therapy became a part of his treatment regiment, he began to flourish. Brandon recently began working with Keandra, who is a music therapist with the Tampa Bay Institute for Music Therapy. Through learning how to play the keyboard, Brandon has been able to address his cognitive, speech and fine motor goals. As you can see in the video, Brandon and Keandra, have been able to promote healing through music and provide hope in knowing “Every little thing is gonna be alright”.
Bob Marley’s song Three Little Birds has given hope and inspiration to many since its original release in 1980. The simple, yet true, lyrics remind listeners that everything will be alright. No matter the challenges we face or the obstacles in our way, we will get through each one with a little faith in ourselves.