Braxton McKeirnan

Type of Donation:      

Age and Location:      Age 17 – Pomeroy, WA

Date of Donation:           03/17/2025

Sponsor:                      Honored by JRF Ortho

BRAXTON’S STORY

Braxton McKeirnan is a 17-year-old Junior from Pomeroy, WA. A dedicated athlete his entire life, Braxton was injured while playing football during his 8th-grade season. Not knowing the extent of the injury in combination with Braxton's drive and athleticism, he played on despite several shoulder subluxations. He even went on to compete at the State B track meet that year, where he placed 5th overall in pole vaulting with a vault of 12 feet. On the first day of football practice, Braxton's freshman year, his right shoulder dislocated again, and this began a long road of dislocation after dislocation, surgery, recovery, rehab, and sitting on the sidelines.

Braxton worked hard in rehab and solidified a starting varsity position on his high school basketball team his sophomore year. Fifteen games in, his shoulder dislocated while going up strong for a rebound. Unfortunately, the damage was so severe that his previous surgeon suggested seeing his colleague for an allograft procedure. Braxton met the renowned Dr. John Tokish at Mayo Clinic last winter, and Braxton had surgery in the spring. He received two different allografts: a humeral head allograft and a left distal tibial allograft for the glenoid, or shoulder socket.

Through the gift of tissue donation, Braxton is again hopeful for his future. He dreams of being strong enough again to compete on the court and track field, and to someday run his family's wheat farm. Braxton has a deep respect and gratitude towards his surgeons and medical team for their incredible care and now has an appreciation for organ and tissue donation and JRF Ortho that extends far beyond that of a typical teenager.