Rene & Kelly Semple

Box 505, Sangudo, Alberta Canada T0E 2A0 Phone: (780) 785-3404 Fax: (780) 785-2099 e-mail: r.semple@hotmail.com www.southpawoutfitters.com

Brandons Story
For most parents, the first day of kinder garden is a memorable one for both child and adult. For parents, Robert and Diane Cooper they knew this would be a big day, Brandon was going to kinder garden! After the registration process, Diane had decided to take Brandon to the Doctor for a check up. He hadnt been feeling well, was tired all the time and seemed to have a series of bruises that wouldnt disappear. After running a series of tests, a very sharp Doctor did some blood work and then sent Brandon to the St. Jude Affiliate Hematology Clinic in Chattanooga, Tennessee for further testing. This was followed by a bone marrow test which diagnosed Brandons condition as Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (which is a cancer of the infection fighting white blood cells called Lymphocytes, which are produced in the bone marrow). If not treated, it causes death from anemia, infection or bleeding. The Cooper family was told to go home and pack their clothes, as they would begin the treatment for Brandon immediately. This began the long and painful three years of treatment at St. Judes hospital. As is often the case, the treatment for such diseases can be more painful than the illness and this was no exception. The chemotherapy that was used on Brandon caused him to lose his hair twice, caused on going nausea and severe aching in the joints. Sometimes his legs would hurt so badly, that he couldnt walk. Instead he would crawl to get around. When you meet Brandon Cooper, you are immediately struck by what a southern gentleman this 14 year old has grown into. Mature beyond his years, he has a keen sense of humor, is a dedicated and committed hunter and understands far more than a 14 year old boy should. During one of his semi-annual checkups at St. Judes, one of the social workers had mentioned Hunt of A Lifetime. Brandons ears immediately perked up and when asked if this was something that he would be interested in, his reply was an immediate yes! Hunt of a Lifetime is an organization dedicated to providing sick children with the opportunity to hunt. Various partners and corporate sponsors are involved and donate generously to the kids identified in this program. In October, 2007 Hunting For Tomorrow had circulated a request for three donated hunts in Alberta. Several outfitters immediately responded and offered to donate trips. A few weeks later, we received another call advising that Hunt of a Lifetime was still looking for a whitetail deer hunt for the 14 year old boy with leukemia. I advised Herb Schmidt, the Alberta HOAL Ambassador that I would call him back in a few moments. My husband, Rene and I discussed this and agreed that we would donate the hunt. We advised Herb, who then gave us the contact information for the young hunter. On Monday morning, I placed the call to Robert Cooper from Bridgeport, Alabama advising that we would like to offer Brandon a six day whitetail deer hunt in Alberta. I outlined the dates available and what the hunt included. I asked Mr. Cooper a few questions about Brandons health condition and he indicated that the cancer was in remission and that he was fine to travel, as long as he had his medication with him. We spoke for a few more minutes and then Mr. Cooper said, Mam, Im going to need to call you back, as I cant find any words to say right now. He later told us that he had a lump in his throat so big, he couldnt swallow. He hung up the phone and told Brandon, Youre going to Alberta to hunt for a big whitetail! Brandon was ecstatic to say the least.

Plans were rapidly made to organize for the trip, including immediately applying for passports for Brandon and his Dad. A .300 WSM rile had been sent to Brandon for his hunt, so he needed to spend time sighting in and becoming familiar with his new firearm. A couple days before heading to Alberta, Brandon was practicing his shooting skills and shot his first whitetail doe with his new rifle. November 18th finally arrived and the Cooper father and son team headed for Alberta. The majority of their travels over the past several years had been related to Brandons illness, so this trip was like nothing they had experienced before! Brandons illness and getting him well, had consumed a lot of their lives. Financial burdens were huge, with medical expenses nearing $5,000.00 per month, it didnt leave much for any luxuries. After they arrived and were introduced to everyone and settled in, they were standing upstairs looking out the window. Their expectation was something rough and rustic. Brandon looked up at his Dad and said, Papa said I was going to live like a king for a week Papa was right! I was intrigued by both Brandon and his Dad. On the third day of the hunt, I asked if I could write an article about them. They were happy to do the interview. We sat down and talked for hours. As Brandon told his story about being sick, his treatment and the struggles that he went through, Robert added the adult interpretation of what the family had dealt with. Several times during the interview I got up for Kleenex to dry our tears, finally after the third time, I said, Ill just bring the box for us all! Brandon starting hunting at 5 years old and shot his first squirrel with a BB gun and then ate it! Many times he sat on his Dads knee while hunting and when he was sick he often needed help to hold the gun. For Brandon, hunting was something that he just liked to do. Sitting out in the woods, trying to find one and just thankful to be able to get a chance to do that. He remembered being stuck inside, in a hospital without the strength to even walk and as a result, never took any of those hunting days for granted. When I asked Brandon what he thought of his parents he said, Im just lucky God gave me good parents that didnt leave me when I got sick. It was difficult for me to swallow the lump in my throat and I said, Brandon, no one could ever leave you. Robert spoke up and said, This world can be a wonderful place, but it can also be very cruel. When we were at St. Judes we saw many children without parents or other family members to support them. Many times, I had Brandon on one knee and another child on my other knee. When Brandon asked why their family wasnt there with them I had no answer. How can you possibly answer that question to a 5 year old? Brandons hunt started on Monday morning. By 5:30 a.m., both Brandon and Robert were geared up and ready to go! After finishing their breakfast and packing their lunches and thermos of hot chocolate they were set for the day. Our Guide Ray Knudson was placing them in one of our premier spots, where we had been seeing a lot of deer movement with some good buck sign. They would spend the day, sitting in a heated ground blind watching and waiting for that one opportunity. Each day, they passed on several shooter bucks, but Robert wanted Brandon to be selective and wait for a big one. Their first sighting of a cow moose was a shocker to both of them. They couldnt believe how big and black she was! For both Brandon and Robert, their attitudes didnt change one bit during the week. Day after day, they sat in the blinds from sun rise to sun set. On day 5, they spotted a good deer in the bush, about 60 yards from the blind. He was a heavy 4 x 4 buck, with long and heavy tines. After several minutes, it was clear that the buck wasnt going to come out from his camouflaged cover and so Robert told Brandon to take the shot. He didnt have a lot of target to shoot at, but he aimed for the shoulder and squeezed the trigger. The buck bounded off it was a clean miss. That night Brandons was a bit disappointed, but his overall attitude didnt change at all. We played Whitetail-monopoly and he proceeded to take everyones money and win the game! The next morning was the last day of the hunt. We had already told Robert, that if he and Brandon wanted to stay another few days, they were welcome to do so. Robert said they would think about it and see what happened that day. About 1:30 that afternoon, another buck showed himself. He was looking face on at the blind. Robert caught the movement and immediately woke Brandon up (who had been having a nap after exhausting himself taking all our money the night before).

He quickly said, Theres a buck Brandon, shoot him. At first, Brandon couldnt find the deer in the crosshairs, but finally with Dads help was able to spot the deer. He carefully aimed and fired his shot. The deer ran dropped in its tracks. Brandon had shot his first Alberta Whitetail deer! While not a monster, it was a mature 4 year old deer Brandon was very happy to say the least! One of our long time friends and clients, Jim Bailey from South Carolina had brought me some gifts, the package included a variety of items with bubble bath, lotion and a pair of camouflage socks. As I was modeling my new socks (and the rest of my haul!), Robert commented these gifts were designed to tell me that I needed a bath and that I had ugly feet! We all laughed and I shared the story about always stealing my nephews socks when they stayed with us. Their socks fit me perfectly (O.k., were only 8 years old!). On the last evening of the hunt, Brandon came up to me and said, Here Kelly, these are for you. And he gave me his best pair of wool socks. It is hard to describe how touched I was by the gesture. The night before Robert and Brandon left, Rene and I discussed it and decided that we would like to invite the Coopers back as our guests, in 2008. We figured wed be able to get someone to donate air miles for the flights, we would donate the hunts and even the guides had offered to chip in. Driving to the airport the next morning, Rene asked, Would you like to come back? Yes, Robert replied. I just need to figure out how to get another job, so I can save up enough to come back. Rene quietly said, I believe that is all taken care of. Just mark your calendars for the week of November 24th to 29th, 2008 Robert mumbled something about airfares and Rene said, I believe that is all taken care of as well. Not another word was said for several moments. The only sound was a grown man shedding tears of appreciation, joy, excitement and respect. Brandons eyes were huge and tear filled as well. A few moments later, while a Christmas carol played on the radio, Rene said, Christmas isnt far away. Robert quietly said, Christmas has already come. Our 2007 season was another year that will not be forgotten. A young boy with the heart of a hero, a father who would do anything for his son, great friends who return year after year to enjoy the fellowship of the hunt and the opportunity to give something back. Once again, we all experienced a Hunt of a Lifetime. Our special thanks to: Robert, Diane and Brandon Cooper, Hunt of A Lifetime, Ray Knudson, Barry Voltner, Mark Cooper, Steve Bobryk, Jim Bailey and John Pelton who all contributed to making this a wonderful experience.

December, 2007