In the nearly two years since the attack, Williams has undergone a few surgeries and a great deal of physical therapy. He has also dealt with family tragedies with the unexpected death of his mother and his father requiring brain surgery after being injured on a construction site.
As for his own injuries from the dog attack, Brandon's road to recovery runs from Newport to Cincinnati, Ohio. That is where the Cocke County Shrine Club has shuttled Williams on numerous occasions to the Shriners Hospital for Children.
On Friday, June 14, the Shriners and the Williams family invited 10News to travel with them to Cincinnati where Brandon was set to be examined for reconstructive surgery that will give him a brand new set of ears.
Brandon and his father, Tony, slept during much of the trip from Newport to Ohio. The duo has grown relaxed and accustomed to the early-morning trips to Cincinnati. Friday was the fourth time the Shriners have driven Tony and Brandon to the Shriners Hospital for Children since the August 2011 attack.
"The kids you take, you get attached to them and they get attached to you," said Parks. "I've made more than 40 trips in the last couple of years and done all four of Brandon's trips to the hospital. That dog attacked him and he doesn't have any hard feelings towards anything. Brandon has got a really sweet personality and is a really sweet person with a good attitude."
What Brandon does not have since the attack is a full sense for the sweet sounds of the world around him. Losing your ears obviously means major hearing loss.
"I lost 56 percent [of my hearing] in my right ear, and I'm not sure how much I lost in the left ear," said Brandon.
Brandon will be able to have one prosthetic ear that attaches to his head with magnets. His other ear will be his own flesh-and-blood reconstructed replacement, but will come at the expense of his lower rib.
"He [the doctor] is going to take half my rib and use the cartilage to make me a real left ear," said Brandon.
"It is a miracle what they can do for the kids at these Shriners hospitals," said Parks. "We take children to three different hospitals with the Shriners and they all do such incredible things to help these kids."
"I just enjoy being able to see the smile on their face and the gleam in their eye, like Brandon," said Jim Barker who also made the trip with the Cocke County Shrine Club. "He is really thankful for what you do for him and it makes you feel good."
"I'm feeling better because of how he has healed," said Tony Williams. "He has still go issues, but he is healing. The good Lord is taking care of him."
The trip did not go entirely as Brandon hoped because of how much he has healed. The doctors say he will need another surgery to reopen his ear canal before he can be fully prepped for ear reconstruction surgery.
"The doctor said it would be hard to do it [the reconstruction] because of the scarring on my right ear," said Brandon.
"They are going to expand his ear canal and improve his hearing, let that heal, and then do the reconstruction," said Tony. "It means another surgery before the reconstruction, but we will get through it."
Brandon does not get discouraged about his ears or more surgery. During the trip home he was more enamored with mastering the operation of the WBIR video camera. The young guest videographer shot a portion of our on-air interview with his father Tony.
Despite a few bumps along the way, Brandon continues to roll ahead on the road to recovery with his own chauffeurs from the Cocke County Shrine Club.
"I'm just so tickled that he is going to be able to get his ears back and hope I can drive him there when he finally has the surgery," said Parks. "I'll be just as nervous and excited as Brandon will be."
"He [Brandon] sees love out of y'all. That's what he sees. That's what he feels," said Tony.
Brandon's plastic surgery at the Shriners Hospital for Children will not cost his family anything. The Shriners cover all expenses with money generated during the club's paper sales and other annual fundraisers.
"He [Brandon] sees love out of y'all. That's what he sees. That's what he feels," said Tony.
Brandon's plastic surgery at the Shriners Hospital for Children will not cost his family anything. The Shriners cover all expenses with money generated during the club's paper sales and other annual fundraisers.
(WBIR - June 18, 2013)
Earlier:
- Cocke County boy seriously injured in attack by pit bull mix
- Child dog attack victim: 'I thought I was going to die'
- Newport boy mauled by dog out of hospital
- Pit bull mix that mauled Newport boy faces euthanasia
- Grand jury indicts dog owners in connection with attack on 10-year-old Brandon Williams
- Brandon Williams still recovering from pit bull attack
- A kid loses his ears, the pit bull owners get probation. Justice???
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