“It's about just kind of meeting people where they're at and just talking to 'em and showing 'em that you care.”
“I've been trying to get clean since I was 14. I'm turning 37 on Sunday. And my biggest problem I had was that I thought I could do this on my own.”
After his son was born, Brandon decided he had to make a change. “I realized this time, I'm like, okay, it has to be different. It has to be different. So how's it going to be different? Instead of doing all the stuff that I would do in the past, I'm going to change that. I'm going to be more focused on trying to build relationships with people and getting involved in service and helping others.”
Part of that service is through his work in harm reduction for Vancouver Coastal Health. Another part is through showing others how to have fun and build community while living in recovery.
“For me a big thing was baseball. I played in a recovery league, and I also played in some other leagues as well. And it changed my life. It gave me a sense of belonging. I felt part of a community. I made some forever lasting relationships with people that I truly cherish. You know what I mean? And it also gave me the opportunity to get other people involved.”
“I'm like, listen, this will change your life. They’re like, how is baseball going to change my life? I'm like, it's not the baseball part. It's having all these people, being accountable, showing up for your team and being part of something. All these things that you're doing when you're playing the game, if you implement it in your life, life's going to get better.”
“Growing up, my dad was in and out of my life, same with my mom. I played baseball when I was a kid, and my dad never came to my baseball games--he'd tell me he was going to come and not show up.” These days, Brandon’s dad is in recovery too—and he comes to all the games. “Even though I'm an adult now—getting him to come to my baseball games, I don't even really think he knows how much of an impact it had.”
Brandon is committed to being the best possible dad for his own young son. “I would not change it for anything, anything. Just getting to sit there and I watch him do stuff—he loves dinosaurs, he has these big dinosaurs and he chases our dog around going ‘rah’ and doing all these things. There's no feeling like it. I would never want to miss those moments. And he gets to see the best me, and I get to be the best dad I can be for him no matter what.”
“It's about building those memories and having memories with my son that I didn't get to have when I was a kid. You know what I mean? And it's awesome.”