Biking for Braxton: Canadian man bikes 745 miles to aid 9-year-old Greystone boy

Braxton Weidman was 8 years old when he and his parents found out he had an aggressive cancerous brain tumor in September 2020.

The past year has been a difficult journey for the Greystone family of five as Braxton endured two brain surgeries, radiation and chemotherapy and started a new immunotherapy trial in early August.

His symptoms have worsened as the disease has progressed, but the Weidmans say they’ve been overwhelmed by the support they’ve received from neighbors, an amazing array of celebrities and now all the way from Canada.

A 45-year-old man from Lloydminster, a city that straddles Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada, undertook an effort to ride 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) on his recumbent tricycle during August in honor of Braxton and other children battling cancer.

The man, Jarrod Russell, found out about Braxton’s cancer journey after seeing a feature that ESPN aired describing how Alabama Coach Nick Saban and numerous Alabama football players rallied around Braxton after learning he was a big Alabama fan.

Braxton’s story hit home with Russell because he was diagnosed with a brain tumor when he was 4 years old. Russell had three major surgeries as a child and has been cancer-free for many years, but he is partially paralyzed on his right side, has language delays and suffers from epilepsy due to scar tissue from his surgeries.

“I felt connected to him,” Russell said of Braxton, communicating by email due to language difficulties.

Despite being nearly 2,200 miles apart, Russell wanted to do something to bring attention to Braxton’s story, as well as to help the Weidman family financially.

For the past six years, Russell has participated in the Canadian Great Cycle Challenge, which raises money for the Sick Kids Foundation that supports children and families of those battling childhood cancer. He raised more than $147,000 in the first five years and this year plans to give part of his money raised to the Weidmans to help them pay medical bills or other bills associated with Braxton’s care.

As of early August, he had raised more than $10,000 this year, he said. All the money raised directly through Russell’s Great Cycle Challenge page will go to the Sick Kids Foundation, but Russell plans to give a portion of money collected through other fundraisers to the Weidmans, said his sister, Lana Lane.

“He’s just got such a care and concern for kids that are going through what he went through as a little guy,” Lane said.

Russell fell behind in his training for the Great Cycle Challenge this year because he broke his collarbone in April, but he was determined to complete the challenge, Lane said. He had to average 39 kilometers (24 miles) a day to reach his goal, and that’s not easy for someone who is partially paralyzed, she said.

Russell and his sister have been communicating with Braxton’s parents, Chris and Brandie Weidman, and Russell sent Braxton a Great Cycle Challenge jersey, which Braxton wore to one of his radiation treatments.

“It’s awesome that he wants to do all that to support me and how much he has been focused on helping me get through all this,” Braxton said. “Everything that he has done for me is just a blessing.”

Chris Weidman said Russell is a really sweet guy, and the Weidmans greatly appreciate what he’s doing.

SURPRISE DIAGNOSIS

The Weidmans first noticed something was wrong with Braxton around Labor Day of 2020 when they went deep sea fishing. Braxton was lacking energy and didn’t want to fish, and then he threw up in the car on the way home from the beach.

His lack of energy continued, which was unusual for him because he is an avid outdoorsman and athlete and was in the best shape of his life, his dad said.

“He was just sleeping constantly. We couldn’t figure it out,” his mother added.

They had taken him to the doctor for numerous tests but came up with nothing. Then on Sept. 15, Braxton had a seizure while he was sleeping. His parents took him to Children’s of Alabama, where an MRI and CT scan revealed an ominous image of his brain, his mother said.

“He literally had three-quarters of his brain covered in cancer,” his dad said. “Some of it was operable. Most of it was not.”

Braxton had his first surgery at Children’s, which relieved some of the pressure off his brain that was causing his fatigue and led to the seizure. But the Weidmans believed the first surgery wasn’t aggressive enough and sought out Dr. Frederick Boop, chief of the pediatric neurosurgery division at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, who performed a second surgery two weeks after the first one.

“We wanted to get as much of the tumor out of him without him losing himself and his ability to function,” Chris Weidman said. “It came out great.”

But Braxton still needed treatment. The Weidmans scoured the country — from Boston to Atlanta, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. — looking for the best possible solution. They put him in a trial for six to seven months but in late June, an MRI revealed a small spot in Braxton’s cerebellum that had not been there before, indicating that Braxton’s treatment was not working.

Braxton had begun to exhibit additional symptoms as well, with his coordination, balance and walking impacted.

“It was apparent now the disease has progressed,” his mother said.

In early August, Braxton started a new immunotherapy drug treatment coupled with chemotherapy and radiation. His dad said it’s Braxton’s best chance at an extended life.

Doctors initially told the Weidmans that Braxton likely had 12 to 18 months to live. It has been almost a year now, and “we’re hoping to beat that,” his dad said.

‘LIVE FOR THE MOMENT’

The whole ordeal has been a nightmare, the Weidmans said.

“It’s awful. You’re angry. You’re scared. There’s nobody to be mad at,” Chris Weidman said. “It’s just like the universe picked your kid and it’s going to take your kid away for no reason. It’s frightening. You’re helpless.”

Chris Weidman said he has had night terrors, but Braxton has handled it like a trouper.

Braxton, now 9, said it has been hard, but once he learned more about his condition and began to understand it, it has been easier for him. The toughest part has been not being able to do as many things as he wants, he said.

“I’m not as energetic as I used to be. I can’t go as far as a normal kid,” he said. “Before I was diagnosed, I was doing everything. Now I can’t.”

The Weidmans said the support from the community has been fantastic, from the staff at Greystone Elementary School to businesses offering free and discounted services and neighbors cleaning their home and bringing them food and money.

Saban and the Alabama athletics department have been incredible, and the exposure Braxton received through ESPN has opened doors for the Weidmans to get access to premier doctors and nutritionists, Chris Weidman said.

The Teutul family from the “Orange County Choppers” TV show is auctioning off a bike to raise money for Braxton, and the winner is scheduled to be announced at the Oct. 2 Alabama-Ole Miss football game. The fundraiser as of early August had raised more than $16,000.

“It’s really just a blessing how everybody’s been behind my back, and how everyone is doing things for me is absolutely awesome,” Braxton said.

Brandie Weidman echoed that sentiment and said while the journey has been hard, the Weidmans are trying to stay positive.

“We can’t be sad while he’s here with us. We have to enjoy every day with him,” she said. “That’s one thing we’ve learned — live for the moment, not for the future.”