The Hyattsville resident has spent more than nine years taking care of her son Brandon, who was born with agenesis of the corpus callosum, a disorder in which the structure that connects the brain’s two hemispheres doesn’t form. Whalen was recently honored by Shire, a biopharmaceutical company in Ireland, as an unsung everyday hero.
How did you find out that Brandon had this disorder?
The doctor put a picture of the sonogram on the machine. You could clearly see that the entire middle piece of Brandon’s brain was missing. I was in a daze. I felt fear, despair, sadness, anxiety, crying, lost, sick, helpless — every feeling of hardship a mother could experience.
What were you told about what kind of life Brandon and you could expect?
We were told Brandon would really have no life at all. … I was given information on aborting my son.
Did you think you could be able to take care for your son?
I had no Idea. I worked at the Children’s Hospital for years and have seen such sad, sad things. I would pray that God would bless the families suffering and often wondered how they handle the suffering and survive. I realized that my family would be one of those families if Brandon even lived at all.
How have you been able to care for Brandon and your family?
Brandon is living because God gave me the strength and gave doctors the skills.
Tell me about Brandon.
Brandon is simply a miracle. … His first five years of life were hospital-based mostly. At age 5 he seemed to turn the corner. He finally he just became a boy — laughing, playing with toys, all of the things he had never done before. … He is so giving, loving, caring and good all the time. We have a lot of medical battles on other fronts facing us, but it is going to be OK.
