Ski Down For Brandon Video

“There have been many people who have had large impacts on my life, but none greater than my cousin Brandon Merritt. Brandon was born with a incurable disease called Neurofibromatosis or NF. It’s an awful illness that causes tumors to grow on nerve endings. Growing up, I loved snowboarding down Beaver Creek mountain or playing pool and ping pong with Brandon. However, that is not the reason I believe Brandon has influenced my life the most. He showed me how to always be true to myself by living in the moment. Throughout his short 22 year life, which included many surgeries, Brandon or “B” as we called him, always had a huge smile on his face which immediately put a smile on mine. He was never depressed and always looked on the bright side of whatever he was battling through. No matter what person you talked to that knew him, they would say Brandon was an amazing human being and that they will never stop thinking about him. I have volunteered and helped raise money for B the Difference, a foundation created in memory of Brandon. By contributing to this foundation, I try to raise awareness of the disease, help others who are battling NF, and keep Brandon’s spirit alive.”