Brandon Lane Phillips
| Brandon Lane Phillips | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 11, 1977 Alexandria, Louisiana |
| 🏫 Education | |
| 💼 Occupation | |
Brandon Lane Phillips (born October 11, 1977) is an American physician. He and actor Jeremy Miller are co-authors of the book When I Wished Upon A Star.[1]
Early Life[edit]
Brandon Lane Phillips was born in Alexandria, Louisiana to Jerry Phillips and Carolyn Wagoner Phillips. Brandon was born with Tetralogy of Fallot, a cyanotic congenital heart defect. Dr. Denton Cooley performed his first open-heart surgery at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas, in 1979. His family fractured shortly after this procedure, and he was raised by his mother, who worked as a corrections officer.[2]
Education and Training[edit]
Brandon graduated from Louisiana Tech University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry. From there, he moved on to attend Tulane University School of Medicine from 2004 to 2008. He had his second open-heart surgery, performed by Dr. Francisco Puga at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in the summer between his first and second years of medical school.[3]
Brandon completed his general pediatrics residency at Texas Children's Hospital and his pediatric cardiology fellowship at Mayo Clinic. He was trained by the physicians who provided care for him during his two heart surgeries.
Medical Practice[edit]
Dr. Phillips practices pediatric cardiology in West Monroe, Louisiana. Interestingly, Phillips works with nurse Chris Donald, who also has congenital heart defects and was also operated on by Dr. Puga at Mayo Clinic. They are likely the only physician-nurse team in the country who are both congenital heart disease survivors and treat congenital heart disease patients.[4]
Starlight Children's Foundation[edit]
Brandon has been involved with Starlight Children's Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1982 that offers entertainment, education, and technology to critically, chronically, and terminally ill children.[5]
Childhood Wish[edit]
In 1989, Brandon received a wish from the Starlight Children's Foundation to meet actor Jeremy Miller from the TV sitcom Growing Pains.[6] The Seaver family was Brandon's picture of the ideal family life he did not have at home and identified with Miller's character, Ben Seaver. Phillips and Miller lost contact after the show ended, but reunited when the second reunion film, Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers, was filmed in New Orleans, Louisiana. The two have enjoyed an ongoing friendship since, and their story is the basis for their co-authored book, When I Wished Upon A Star.
Heart of Gold Award Presentation[edit]
In 2005, the Starlight Children's Foundation invited Brandon to present the Heart of Gold Award to director Steven Spielberg.[7] After presenting the award, he was invited to sit on the Starlight Children's Foundation Board of Directors, where he served for 6 years. He is now a member of their Board of Trustees.[8]
When I Wished Upon A Star Book[edit]
Meeting Jeremy Miller gave Brandon hope for his own future, and Brandon was able to repay the favor later when Miller was struggling with substance abuse.[2][9] Phillips and Miller wrote When I Wished Upon A Star in hopes that their story would give hope to others facing family, medical, or other personal troubles.[10]
The book is published by Thomas Nelson (publisher) and is scheduled to release on May 21, 2019.
Awards and Honors[edit]
- Robert C Baird, M.D., Award - 2004 - Tulane University School of Medicine
- Young Alumnus of the Year - 2006 - Louisiana Tech University
- Distinguished Alumnus - 2014 - Louisiana Tech University College of Engineering and Science
- Key to the City Award - 2014 - Jena, Louisiana
References[edit]
- ↑ Phillips, Brandon; Miller, Jeremy (21 May 2019). When I Wished Upon A Star: From Broken Homes to Mended Hearts. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. ISBN 978-1595558565. Search this book on
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Phillips, Brandon Lane (4 February 2019). "I was born with a congenital heart defect and never expected to live past age 20 – Then this happened..." Fox News. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ↑ Phillips, Brandon (3 July 2002). "Skydiving". JAMA. 288 (1): 16. doi:10.1001/jama.288.1.16.
- ↑ Bolden, Bonnie (17 February 2018). "Cardiac challenges give life to heartwarming friendship". AP NEWS. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ↑ "Our Mission". Starlight Children's Foundation.
- ↑ "Dr. Brandon Phillips Day declared in Jena". The Jena Times. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ↑ Franklin, Sammy (6 April 2005). "Jena native helps with presenting Starlight award to Steven Spielberg". jen.stparchive.com. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ↑ "Our Board". Starlight Children's Foundation. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ↑ "'Growing Pains' Actor Credits Recovery to BioCorRx in Anaheim". spectrumnews1.com. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ↑ "Wishing Upon a Star with Brandon Lane Phillips and Jeremy Miller". Faith Strong Today. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
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