Acts of kindness in tribute to short years on Earth for two little boys

MY COLLEAGUE Stephanie Farr and I were a mess yesterday.

Steph had just heard about the death of 3-year-old Brayden Chandler, whose story she told so beautifully last month. Terminally ill with kidney cancer, Brayden had taken a dream trip to Disney World with his family. When they returned, more than 150 police cars greeted them at the airport and escorted them home to Delaware County. There, hundreds more well-wishers cheered Brayden and his parents, Jackie Marinelli and Jason Chandler.

What an extraordinary display for Brayden to experience near the end of his short life - friends and strangers alike gathered to let him and his family know they were loved.

And I had just gotten off the phone with Julie Keeton, whose 7-year-old son, Weston, died Sunday. Plagued by heart defects and pulmonary hypertension, he'd been living at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia since 2011, awaiting a heart and double-lung transplant, which he underwent in December. I'd chronicled Weston's medical saga in my column and grown to adore him and his family, which also includes dad Adam and six siblings. I was heartbroken to hear that his small body had finally given up.

"Brayden was only 3," said Steph through tears.

"Weston was only 7," I blubbered.

The boys didn't know each other, but shared a warrior's heart that drew others to them as they battled demons more sinister than any monster under a bed. The kindness shown to their families matters more than the unfairness that Brayden and Weston will never be older than 3 and 7.

At every turn, angels appeared to catch their families when they staggered under the enormity of catastrophic childhood illness. Meals appeared at front doors. Rides materialized to doctors' appointments. PrimoHoagies in Delco donated the proceeds of a sale to Brayden's Buddies, a fund to help Brayden's folks. In Philly, firefighters Local 22 practically adopted Weston's family, showering the kids with Christmas gifts.

As Steph noted on her blog about Brayden, "He reminded all of us that when we work together, we're capable of great kindness in the face of great tragedy."

This was especially critical for Weston's family, who hail from Tennessee and traveled to CHOP in 2011 for what they thought would be a week of medical testing. Instead, they learned that Weston needed a heart and double-lung transplant.

Julie, pregnant at the time, stayed in Philly with Weston and his big brother Easton, while Adam cared for the couple's other children - Sutton, Abby, Emery and Avery - back home.

It was a fractured life for the young parents (they are just 31). Adam had family support in Tennessee, but Julie was alone here. She figured her faith would get her through her stay but never dreamed it would stretch to 33 months, during which time she gave birth to daughter Ellie.

Imagine caring for a critically ill child and a newborn in a city far from home.

The Keetons found support among the medical geniuses at CHOP who moved heaven and earth to get Weston through setbacks so frequent that Adam and Julie were forever planning his funeral. When he rebounded, others brought normalcy and joy to Weston and his family.

There were the staff and parents at St. Gabriel School in South Philly, which Weston's brother attended. The families on the cardiac floor at CHOP. The teens from Gwynedd Mercy Academy, who held fundraisers for Weston. The folks at Hayden's Heart, a nonprofit that aides families of kids born with heart defects. The staff at Gift of Life Donor Program, who helped the Keetons adjust to city life.

After nearly three years in Philadelphia, Julie told me yesterday, this burg feels like home.

"We are eager to get back to Tennessee, to be under one roof," says Julie. "But we will never, ever forget the people of Philadelphia. They have become family. It will be painful to leave them."

Brayden's young parents - Jackie is 31, Jason is 30 - get to remain in the community that has carried them. They are natives of Springfield, with dear family and friends here.

"We may not be the biggest place," says Kevin DiPaolo, Brayden's godfather, "but everyone came together to help Jackie and Jason. They've had overwhelming support."

Their former classmates at Springfield High. Fellow worshippers in St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church. Members of the local fire and police departments. Good Samaritans who collected money to support the pair, who haven't worked since they learned in January that Brayden's cancer was terminal.

"He will be dearly missed," says DiPaolo. "He was such an energetic and loving little boy."

To honor him, my colleague Stephanie has a terrific idea:

"Brayden touched more people than some who survive a full lifetime," she wrote on her blog. "Perhaps if all of us committed one act of kindness for each of Brayden's years on this earth, the world would be a better place."

Amen. And while we're at it, let's commit an additional seven acts, for Weston's years.

May these little guys rest in peace - free of pain and forever loved.

There will be a viewing for Brayden Chandler on Friday from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 136 Saxer Ave., Springfield. Funeral Mass will immediately follow.

Phone: 215-854-2217

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