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Braden Waterman’s essence can be best described in a few words – tenacious, courageous, faithful.
From a young age, Braden had specific goals and dreams to play football for a D1, SEC college. Working his way from youth football and then through high school as a quarterback, he began to forge his own path. He soon gained the attention of scouts, recruiters and coaches, and his future looked very bright. That all changed on January 1, 2020 when at 17 years old, he was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkins Lymphoma.
After unknowingly playing his entire Junior football season with cancer, by late December 2019, feeling extremely sick and looking for answers to his health issues, he underwent tests at Valley Children’s Hospital in Fresno and was soon told the news no one ever wants to hear. You. Have. Cancer.
Braden immediately began an aggressive chemo regimen that left him with severe weight loss, no hair, neuropathy in his hands and feet, and a myriad of side-effects. Meanwhile, as all his college offers vanished after hearing of his diagnosis, none of this deterred Braden. It actually stoked a fire deep within him to come back stronger than ever. Exhausted from the ravages of chemo and only 4 months after his initial diagnosis, he began slowly training again. Little by little, he got stronger every day. By the fall of 2021, he had recovered and conquered the massive setback of cancer to play his last season of football in high school. Braden not only came back but crushed his senior season by leading his team to victory in their League and then into Division Playoffs. He topped off his year by being named All League MVP.
College football recruitment during the pandemic was made incredibly more difficult with the advent of the Transfer Portal and added “covid” years of eligibility for current players. Nevertheless, Braden did not let this discourage him. He continually pushed himself towards his ultimate goal of joining a D1 team. In early spring of 2022, his dreams came to fruition when he joined the Ole Miss Rebels. Since the day he arrived on campus in May 2022, he has done nothing but keep his head down and put in the demanding hard work required at this level. A relentless pursuit of his craft and immensely strong faith has kept Braden firmly in the game – until July 2023.
It is incredibly difficult to write this next chapter because Braden’s cancer has now returned. He is once again facing major hurdles to his future. It is hard enough to go through this heartbreaking battle once, but twice is unfathomable. So together with his family, he will face this beast again but with newfound knowledge on how best to fight Hodgkins Lymphoma and rid it from his body forever. Together with a team of doctors, a protocol has been developed for Braden that is a 2-pronged approach this time. Western Medicine will be combined with Integrative Medicine to get to the root cause of this type of blood cancer in order to transform and repair his immune system to fight for him instead of against him.
Braden has already begun treatments at the Cancer Center for Healing in Irvine, CA to bolster his strength and immunity before starting his chemotherapy regimen in Mississippi on September 5th. He will travel back to California in between his chemo treatments to continue with integrative procedures and modalities that will prevent the steep decline that chemo puts the body through. The road ahead is long, as Braden will have to fight this battle for many months to get the cancer eliminated from his body once and for all. At the end of the day though, Braden’s dream remains steadfast – to get back to his teammates on the field.
We ask that you partner with us so we can all fight for Braden’s future. Please help him in any way you can. The costs of integrative medicine are 100% out of pocket. That combined with the huge expense of conventional chemotherapy treatments in the hospital are a very heavy burden. Donations of airmiles or lodging would help immensely as well.
Finally, we covet your prayers for Braden. We ask for everyone to come alongside him and give him the extra strength and love he needs to get through this next challenge. Braden’s faith in God is unwavering. We pray for the elimination of his cancer, the restoration of his health, and the promise of a bright future ahead. AMEN!”
