Brandon Shrader, 28

The diagnosis

On the 28th April 2020, Brandon had a seizure whilst on his lunch break at work. It was discovered by CT scan and MRI that day that Brandon had 3 masses on his brain. After a craniotomy, we were told on the 1st of May that Brandon had Grade 4 Glioblastoma Multiforme.

The prognosis

The heaviness of what we had been told, along with a prognosis of 12 months, likely less, was so overwhelming, it still is. After an extremely turbulent next few months, filled with radiation treatment, different kinds of chemo, sickness, infections, surgeries, constant hospital visits, scans, financial strain and debilitating uncertainty and heartache, all whilst trying to be there for our children, Brandon passed away. He was only 28 years old.

The aftermath

Not a day goes by where Brandon is not in our thoughts or conversation and not a day goes by where I don’t question, why, just why? You don’t get any answers. Brain cancer took everything away from Brandon, our family and at such a young age, Brandon didn’t get a chance to watch our children grow, he was robbed of so much, we all were. It will simply never make sense to me. The pain of Brandon’s loss always feels raw and relentless, you don’t just lose someone once, you lose them every day, for a lifetime.’

Watch the award-winning documentary

Made with love by Brandon’s brother in law and featuring real family members, the film aims to raise public awareness in the hopes of stopping other families from experiencing the same heartbreak.