When Keegan was born, the doctors told me things weren’t quite right “down there”. He had hypospadias, the most severe kind. I didn’t know what that was, and it was a scary time that made me feel alone and desperate for more information about what needed to be done to help my little boy. Some of the information I could find online was frightening, and there weren’t other families that I could talk to who had been through the same thing.
Like many boys with the most severe proximal hypospadias, Keegan has been through several surgeries. But now everything looks and works normal down there. We were lucky to find a team that has spent years trying to figure out the best way to fix boys like Keegan, because I can’t imagine how he would feel if he couldn’t use the bathroom like the other boys, or was too embarrassed about how he looked to play sports because of changing in the locker room.
That’s why I knew I had to get involved – to help with a charity that can fix broken boys like Keegan used to be, and help surgeons around the world know the best ways for fixing these sorts of problems. It’s my mission to raise enough money to organize a 5K run, which will spread awareness about this very common birth defect and help other families when the doctors tell them that their baby boy has a problem.
As a mom, I want my sweet Keegan to always know he is not alone in what he has been through. I pray that we are all done with his reconstruction, but if not for any reason, I pray that the next time around, we are surrounded by a community that understands and cares and supports Keegan. And that the doctors have the tools they need to mend things in the best way possible. Just because it’s “down there” doesn’t mean we have to suffer through this alone. Doesn’t every mom want their son to have hap-penis?!
Brandy and Keegan, Richardson, TX
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