“He will be missed”: Kempner volunteer firefighter passes after 7-year battle with cancer
KEMPNER, Texas (KWTX) - The Kempner community is mourning the loss of volunteer firefighter James Braden Charles, who died last Wednesday after a seven-year battle with cancer. He was 22.
His parents, Randa and Matt Charles, say Braden was diagnosed with osteosarcoma at age 15, after he started experiencing knee pain.
“The nurse practitioner, they did an x-ray and he happened to have seen it before,” Randa Charles recalled, “they did a stat MRI for us for the next morning and within a week we knew he had osteosarcoma”.
Osteosarcoma is a bone cancer most often seen in children. After the diagnosis Braden immediately started treatment.
He went 11 months with no evidence of disease after the initial treatment, but sadly the cancer returned.
“We were doing his 12 month scan and it was back, and it was back in his lung,” Randa Charles said.
Despite this Braden never stopped fighting, going through four different trials and having a total of 14 surgeries.
“Every time Braden would go ‘I want to keep fighting’ and we’d go ‘ok’. And even when the doctors would say ‘look there’s a quality of life involved’ and he goes ‘keep fighting’,” Matt Charles shared.
During the last seven years he graduated high school, worked when he could, attended EMT school, and joined the Kempner Volunteer Fire Department two years ago.
Assistant Fire Chief Todd Burkett said Braden told the department about his cancer when he joined, but if he hadn’t they never would have guessed.
“You couldn’t really tell… you really couldn’t,” Burkett said.
Further sharing that Braden gave the department his all, volunteering until his condition worsened.
“He left a little mark on us, as we all tend to do, and we was glad to have him… he will be missed,” Burkett said.
But Randa Charles says in his final months, her son was at peace.
“He’d say… he did say ‘mom, I’ve done more than most people my age, I’ve seen more than most people my age’ and he said ‘and I am blessed’,” she shared.
Below is the information for Braden’s memorial services. His mom says anyone who Braden touched is welcome:
The Viewing will be December 10th 5p-7p Sneed-Carnley Funeral Home
1614 S FM 116
Copperas Cove, TX
Services will be December 11th Grace United Methodist Church
101 W Ave F Copperas Cove, TX
1 PM
Cemetery Services
Kempner Cemetery 1180 CR 3300 Kempner, TX
It will also be live streamed on FB at Grace United Methodist Copperas cove FB page.
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