Ten years ago, senior Brannon Moran was lying in a hospital bed, relearning how to walk, talk, and swallow. This month, he will walk across the stage at South’s graduation, celebrating not only his academic success, but a decade of being cancer-free, his mother, Kristin Moran, said. At just eight years old, Brannon was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma, a form of brain cancer, Kristin added.
Brannon’s childhood looked different from most. He underwent emergency brain surgery, 31 rounds of proton radiation, and six months of intensive chemotherapy, all before his ninth birthday, Brannon said.
“Cancer made [life] harder,” Brannon said. “I’m not as strong or as smart as others, [and] I can’t move as fast as I used to. It takes me a long time to write or type, and it’s hard to recognize [people] sometimes.”
Still, Brannon has never let cancer stop him, Kristin said. He attended school between treatments, and kept up with his education while spending weeks at a time in the hospital, Kristin explained. Whether in academics or in everyday life, Brannon is the kind of person who always has one more thing to accomplish before he is done, Kristin said.
Brannon earned the nickname “Super Bran” from family and friends, Kristin said. At the time, superheroes were his inspiration, and soon, he became one in real life, Kristin added. Brannon wore a shirt with a joke on it every day during treatment, offering laughter to those around him, he said.
“Jokes and humor [have] kept me going [through] all [of] the hard times,” Brannon said. “They say laughing can add years to your life. Laughter is the best medicine.”
Brannon knows what he needs to be successful, and he is not afraid to work for it, Tiffany Soler, Special Education Teacher, said. Since first meeting Brannon two years ago, Soler has seen Brannon break out of his shell and try new things, such as activities, like Track and Field and Stage Crew. Over time, Brannon has grown more confident in his abilities and his voice, becoming someone who is not afraid to speak up for his needs, Soler added.
“Nothing has ever stopped [Brannon], and no goal is too big,” Soler said.
Outside of school, Brannon has turned his experience into advocacy, Kristin said. As a Children’s Miracle Network “Champion of Hope,” he spoke at hospitals and events, sharing his story to support childhood cancer research, Kristin said. He even traveled to Washington, D.C. in 2023 to speak with senators at Capital Hill about pediatric brain tumor research to help raise awareness for funding, she added.
“Brannon is an inspiration of hope to me and a lot of people,” Kristin said. “Just because somebody’s different or doesn’t have a linear path, doesn’t mean they’re not capable. It just means they got there a different way.”
