Donors Step Up to Fulfill Dying Man's Wish

Brandon Regan spent the summer checking items off his “bucket list,” from a to a meet-and-greet with a Brookfield Zoo dolphin to a visit with .

But one goal seemed out of reach for the Romeoville man, who is battling degenerative cerebellum, a disease that causes the brain stem to shrink.

Regan, 25, hoped to travel to Las Vegas to see his idol, Garth Brooks, perform in his one-man show. Proceeds from an October fundraiser were to pay for the trip, but dad Robert Regan had to make a tough decision as Brandon's condition worsened.

Gradually, Brandon lost all ability to walk, and began to rely almost entirely on a feeding tube. 

“It came to the point where Brandon’s health had deteriorated enough where I felt I should pay for his funeral services,” Robert said.

Instead of paying for hotel rooms and flight arrangements, the funding was used to arrange Brandon’s final sendoff through in Romeoville.

But family and friends, including his more than 6,000 Facebook fans, weren’t going to let that last dream go unfulfilled.

Robert said several news stories that were published also helped spread the word about Brandon’s dream to meet his idol. Steadily, donations trickled in to help pay for the trip that the family feared would never happen.

“We had multiple large donations until we had enough to coordinate and afford it,” Robert said.

The trip will be no small feat for Brandon, who is now receiving hospice care.

“The biggest thing is the medicine and the oxygen,” Robert said, adding the family relies on hospice nurses to give Brandon his feeding tube medicines.

The Romeoville dad admitted he had his doubts about whether his son should make the trek to see Brooks in person.

“Our big concern was we didn’t want to take him out there and have him pass there,” Robert said. But after speaking with hospice staff, Robert said he made the decision to move forward with the plan.

“The lady from hospice said, ‘Everyone lives their lives to do as much as they can. How would you like to know that if you died tomorrow, all your dreams would have come true?’” he said.

“That’s [Brandon’s] dream. That’s the only thing he’s asked for,” Robert said.

Robert said he also talked to his son, dubbed “Beefer” by friends and family, about the decision.

“I asked him, ‘Do you still want to go to Las Vegas and see Garth Brooks?,’ and he said, ‘Do we leave tonight?’” Robert said. “I’m still nervous about it, but I’ve never stopped him from anything he’s wanted to do.”

Robert said local hospice staff helped the family coordinate with hospice providers in Las Vegas to make sure everything is ready for Brandon’s trip. The family is leaving Jan. 6, 2012, with plans to see Brook’s one-man show Jan. 7at the Wynn Las Vegas.

Before heading home on Jan. 8, Brandon also plans to meet with some of his Facebook fans, who have been closely following his story online.

“We want to take him to the strip and and see all the lights,” Robert added. “He is a lights fanatic, whether it’s Christmas or the Fourth of July.”

The concert won’t be Brandon’s first interaction with the country music star. In July, after hearing about Brandon’s dream of seeing his show, over the phone with Brandon.

‘Team Beefer’ presses on

Robert said the family still plans to secure non-profit status for Brandon’s foundation, Team Beefer Just Smile. Eventually, they plan to host benefits to help other families dealing with terminal illness.

For more information, visit the “Team Beefer” site, or visit Brandon’s Facebook fan page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/Teambeefer/.