In 1992, 11-month old Brryan Jackson from Missouri had his life put in danger by his own father. Brryan’s father, Brian Stewart, had intentionally injected his own son with HIV-infected blood.
Image grab: Instagram / Brryan Jackson
Brryan’s mother, Jennifer Jackson, filed for divorce from his father due to physical and verbal abuse. Apparently, his father also started questioning if Brryan was indeed his son and demanded a paternity test. And, on the verge of his divorce from Jennifer, this father did something unspeakable to his own child because he didn’t want to pay child support — he injected the innocent child with an HIV-infected blood.
For the past four years after Brian Stewart injected his son with infected blood, little Brryan was brought to the doctors countless of times, battling infection after infection, sickness after sickness.
The doctors were clueless as to why this keep happening to the little boy, and in a desperate attempt to find out what’s wrong, they have requested for an HIV test to be carried out.
The results came back positive.
The doctors tested every person who has been around Brryan for the past years to trace who could have possibly transmitted the virus the little boy. Every test was negative. They didn’t have any idea how Brryan got the HIV.
Until Jennifer recalled that strange day when Brryan was just 11 months old, and was in the hospital for asthma. What made it strange is that Brryan’s father suddenly visited his son in the hospital after denying Brryan was his child — he arrived wearing a lab coat.
Jennifer said she found her ex-husband carrying Brryan, who was crying loudly. The mother even said that Brryan’s father told her that her little boy won’t live that long.
After extensive investigation, it was discovered that Brian Stewart have worked as a phlebotomist and had access to blood infected with HIV. Brian was later on sentenced to life in prison.
Meanwhile, the five-year-old Brryan was given just a short time to live, and was sent home by the doctors so he could live the remaining days of his life as normal as he could. Despite being sent home, Brryan’s mother still took great care of him, gave him every medication he needed — she and Brryan did not give up the fight.
h/t: gq.com
And then, something miraculous happened. While the doctors predicted that Brryan might not be able to reach his 6th birthday — Brryan continued to live — and is still alive and THRIVING today.
He faced his father last 2016 in court to make sure that this evil man would not get parole for what he did to his own son. And his father was denied parole.
Brryan said that, “At first I was very angry and bitter. I grew up watching movies where fathers cheer on their sons from the sidelines. I couldn’t wrap my mind around how my own father could do that to me.”
Brryan lived his entire life burdened with countless illnesses and health complications. All the medications he had to take in order to survive left him partially deaf. He was bullied in school as well.
“He didn’t just try to kill me, he changed my life forever. He was responsible for the bullying, he was responsible for all the years in hospital. He’s the reason I have to be so conscious about my health and what I do,” Brryan said.
Even with everthing Brryan went through, he chose to live his life, and he chose to live it in a way that would benefit others. He is now a motivational speaker for people suffering from HIV. Not only that — he started his own HIV organization called Hope Is Vital. He spoke before congress and he went to Kenya to spread awareness about HIV.
Today, Brryan still continues to inspire many people:
There are countless things Brryan has taught us in his story — but one of the most important lessons we can learn from his experience is that we all have a choice. Brryan has gone through the worst difficulties in life — probably enough to turn him into an angry, hateful person. With all he has experienced, it won’t come as a surprise if he lost all the will to live.
facebook.com/BrryanJackson/
But Brryan made a choice — he chose to fight, he chose to stand up. Most importantly, he thought of a way to change his bad experiences into something positive. And now, he’s here to give hope and encouragement to people.
Visit Brryan Jackson’s official website.