A Mother’s Perseverance
Jaden Brown thinks of himself as an athlete, not disabled. Ever since he was little he never let his disabilities get in the way of achieving his goals. Jaden says that “ hard work and dedication” will get you to where you want to be.
Jaden was born with multiple heart defects, a spinal defect, and a leg defect. During Jennifer’s pregnancy, Jaden’s mom, she had no idea that he would be born with so many health issues. Doctors told her during ultrasounds that he was a perfectly healthy baby boy, but when he was born her life changed. The day he was born he went into immediate heart surgery, then three days later he went in for another surgery. And after a few months he had to have his left leg from the knee down amputated. He also spent an entire year in a full body cast due to spinal issues. Being only 19 years old, she thought her life was over. She couldn’t understand why this would happen to her. Jen felt that Jaden would never be able to ride a bike, play sports or have friends that wouldn’t pick on him. After being depressed for months in and out of hospitals for surgeries, she finally gathered the strength to tell her-self that everything would be okay. She knew she had to raise him just like any other kid.
When Jaden was 3 years old his family took a trip to Texas to receive his first prosthetic leg. For the next few years of Jaden’s life, it was spent running around to hospitals and doctor appointments. Now, Jaden is 14-years-old soon to be 15 and is perfectly healthy. He found a love for basketball when he was young after he discovered his disabilities wouldn’t allow him to play football. Jaden’s plans are to attend college to play basketball, or possibly a tech school to work on cars. Although he has had some set backs in life, he comes from a great, loving, and humorous family that pushes him to never give up.
