Brandon Moore - Summer 2009

Eleven-year-old Brandon Moore is having a fantastic summer. For starters, he went to the CCA retreat in Dallas. He also went on a fishing trip to Lake Charles, which is in his native Louisiana.

Brandon also attended a camp where he spent his days building robots. (How cool is that?!) In addition, he went to a pirate camp, where he learned about the history of pirates and pirate activity in Louisiana. He also attended vacation Bible school.

This summer, Brandon took swimming lessons and has perfected his diving. Most days you can find him in his backyard pool.

He’ll be in sixth grade this fall, which for him is middle school. He’s looking forward to his math and science classes. They are his favorites.

Brandon is a remarkable student. In fact, he was one of just a few select students who won the President Rank Award, signed by President Obama, for having straight A’s from first through fifth grade and high marks on standardized tests.  He also received a Top Dog award in fifth grade, third place in the science fair in fourth grade, and in first and second grades, he won the Terrific Kid award. Recently, Brandon won a Veterans of Foreign Wars essay award. Congratulations, Brandon, on all of these awesome accomplishments!

During the school year, Brandon is one busy guy, with swim lessons, robotics club meetings and church classes.

In between all of his studies and extracurricular activities, Brandon plays baseball and golf on his Wii, plus he likes watching the Disney Channel TV show “Suite Life on Deck.” He loves music and listens to Cher, Trace Adkins and Rodney Atkins. He dances, too (only when you’re not looking). He also likes going to the movies. “Cars” is still his favorite film.

Besides CCA retreats, Brandon has taken numerous vacations and has been able to see many places in the U.S. and beyond. His favorite vacations include a Caribbean cruise and a trip to Gatlinburg, TN. Brandon’s favorite holiday is Christmas and he enjoys decorating and spending time with his family.

Brandon has been involved with CCA for a number of years and has really enjoyed the experience. In fact, his first plane ride was to the CCA retreat in Nashville, TN, in 2005. He has made a lot of friends and has had the opportunity to meet many other kids in his situation.

Brandon has Crouzon’s syndrome and had his first surgery when he was less than four weeks old. He has had his total skull remolded and has a VP Shunt. He wears bilateral hearing aids because of narrowed ear canals. He also has a fused left elbow that he can not bend, so he is ambidextrous.

Brandon had the RED Distractor system at five years old and had excellent results. He is not up for any further surgeries until he’s a teenager, when he will have more facial and jaw work completed.

His craniofacial team is led by Dr. G.E. Ghali at Sutton’s Children’s Hospital in Shreveport, LA. Dr. Ghali is not only his doctor, but also his buddy! Dr. Ghali is amazing and has greatly assisted Brandon and his parents in getting through each of these difficult surgeries.

It’s not surprising to know that Brandon wants to be a craniofacial doctor when he grows up. With his drive and incredible aptitude in math and science he will no doubt achieve that goal.

If you would like to share your story with CCA, please send an email to Annie Reeves at areeves@ccakids.com. If your story is chosen, with your permission, we will edit and publish it in the CCA newsletter, on the Web site or use it for public awareness programs. Not all stories will be selected.

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