Real Michiana: Giving back while beating the odds

LA PORTE, Ind. -- An 11-year-old with an undiagnosed disease is giving back while beating the odds.

“You wouldn’t look at him and say he’s disabled or has any issues, because he just looks like a regular 11-year-old, but lifting up his shirt, you’ll see all his tubes and lines and things like that, and he has his medical stroller where he can’t walk long distances.” said the mother of 11-year-old Broc Davis, Kerrigan Davis.

She says in the beginning, Broc was a healthy baby, weighing in at seven pounds, 10 ounces.

"I thought wow he just sleeps really good, and he doesn’t cry, and he’s just the best baby I’ve ever had, and little did I know that he was very, very close to death…We got a second opinion…he said I’m a little bit concerned about his heart, and things just snowballed after that," said Kerrigan.

He's undergone heart surgery after heart surgery, suffers fevers multiple times a month--on top of infections that have nearly killed him.

“You never want to see your kid crash, because it’s not a pretty sight," said Broc's mom.

He's collected a "Bead of Courage" for every time he rebounds from a setback, so he's amassed necklaces-worth.

“He’s living on a flat battery every single day of his life basically, or a battery that’s on low, and so then when he gets sick, if the battery’s already on low, then it’s just depleted, and his body’s just desperately trying to hold itself together…so his heart rate, his blood pressure, everything just goes crazy," said Kerrigan.

“Most people don’t know a kid who’s had this many surgeries or this many procedures, and most people who have met me are amazed at what I endured," said Broc.

“He’s got a heart of gold, he really does. I mean through everything that he’s been through in his life, and he still smiles, he still cracks jokes and he loves to give," said Broc's mom.

When Broc found out Make-A-Wish would be giving back to him, the gears started turning from his hospital bed.

"He said he really wants to do something for the children at La Porte Hospital, so I said okay, what do we want to do?" said Kerrigan.

“I figured some kids should also be happy if they come to that hospital, since I’m there constantly...so I gave them board games. I gave stuff for littler kids," said Broc.

“When he showed up with them, he was so proud, and it just melts your heart. He’s definitely one of a kind, and you ask him why, and he says well you know I get bored. There’s nothing to do here, and he's right," said Broc's nurse, Elizabeth Wilson.

Broc hopes those kids are as grateful as he is every day he doesn't have to be pushed around in his wheelchair and can play monster trucks with his brother.

“It’s really not taking the little things, for granted, like family and those special memories that you can share with each other....He just can’t cope, and I guess we may come to the day where his body just won’t cope anymore, and he’ll just say that is the last one," said Kerrigan.

She says you can't just "curl in a ball and hide away," because that's not going to help him.

And, while no one may ever be able to fully fix the organ that's failing Broc, every beat inspires those around him.

In fact, his brother, Mark, says his favorite thing about Broc is his heart.

Broc had another heart surgery last month, and the recovery is taking longer than it normally does.

For some good news, though, Make-A-Wish is meeting with Broc's family on October 20 to discuss making his dream come true of seeing the Monster Truck Jam World Finals.

If you know anyone who should be featured in our next episode of Real Michiana, email Jess at [email protected].