Bays honor fallen friend

This article also appears in the Sault News where it was originally published

By SCOTT CHURCH

For The Sault News

BRIMLEY – When we lose someone close to us, we latch onto anything we can think of to keep that person fresh in our hearts and our memories. It might be an article of clothing or a piece of jewelry, or in the case of a senior basketball player and his teammates, it might be an autograph on a pair of shoes.

Brimley high senior Brandon Mills was preparing for his big day. The seniors parade through the school's elementary and middle school wings prior to graduation to be celebrated by fellow students and the teachers who had taught these kids in their formative years. Brandon had been feeling tired in recent days and the walk through the school became too much for him. He had undergone some tests but results were inconclusive. Brandon was referred to Dr. Arrango for further testing.

The results were devastating. Brandon was diagnosed with leukemia and began treatment immediately. That was June 1. By June 18^th, Brandon was in the intensive care unit at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit because the oral chemotherapy treatments were causing bleeding in his lungs . He was switched to intraveinious chemotherapy. The problem was fixed and Brandon was allowed to come home for a day here and there until a bone marrow transplant happened on August. 10. By September 22, there was no sign of the leukemia and on October 22, he came home to lead the team onto the football field and flip the coin prior to the game that night. On his facebook page, he wrote, in part.

“I was in remission and honestly, never felt better. I had the honor of walking the football team to the football field that I haven't stepped foot on in awhile, being allowed to flip the game coin and keep it.”

One of the reasons that that was so important to him was because of his friend Sean Hill. Sean and Brandon had a health class together as freshmen and became fast friends, joking with each other in class and relying on each other for help with the schoolwork.

“He was always giving me good advice,” Hill said. “Sometimes it was about sports and sometimes it was about life. But he always knew what to say.”

On November 1, Brandon returned to the hospital in Detroit for a post-transplant check-up and for the second time in his young life, Brandon received news that nobody wanted to hear. The leukemia was back and this time, it was worse. Brandon was given two weeks to live.

Hill found out about Brandon's prognosis at school as Brandon came in for a visit.

“He told me that they were giving him a week or two to live,” Sean said. “He told me during school but nobody knew yet so I had to go through the rest of the day like nothing was wrong. That was one of the hardest days of my life.”

Earlier in the process, Hill had gone to see Brandon at the hospital with an idea to honor his friend. He wanted to personalize his basketball shoes for the season in honor of Brandon. He used the orange color that represents the fight against leukemia and Brandon agreed.

On November 14, he came to the gym to say hi to Sean and the rest of the team. Sean had already put Brandon's initials on his shoes, and it soon turned into a Brandon Mills signature when he saw them. Soon, Brandon was experiencing writer's cramp as every other member of the team asked him to sign theirs too.

“They saw him signing my shoes and thought it would be a cool idea,” Hill said. “We dedicated our season to him and it's been going pretty good so far.”

On November 18^th at 12:53 p.m., he took his last breath, surrounded by family, just four days after signing the shoes.

“I had my hand on his chest and felt him take his last breath,” his sister Jessica, who was kind enough to provide a timeline for this story, said. “I felt his heart beat for the last time.”

Sean has done a lot of reflecting on his time with Brandon and about some of the things that Brandon would tell him.

“He would always say that things happened for a reason, and he said it even after he knew how little time he had left,” Sean said. “I could never understand how he could feel like that.”

“I think about him all the time,” he continued. The shoes are a constant reminder. I also have an orange bracelet that I wear for him under my shooting sleeve. I try to focus on the game, but after, I look at what I did wrong and what Brandon would tell me about it.”

The Bays will start the district tournament on Monday in Engadine and whether their run lasts one game or seven, Brandon will be with Sean and the boys every step of the way.

Literally.