If you know Camille & Chaunce personally, you know the story of our Summer at Scottish Rite… I find myself in tears this morning, remembering what an impact the Summer of 2008 made on my entire life. Chaunce was barely 15 when a freak head injury on the last day of his 9th grade year left him fighting for his life…. and today, we’re celebrating his 18th birthday and in a couple of weeks, his Highschool Graduation… I am overwhelmed with emotion just thinking about the journey…
Wow, God is truly so amazing.
Happy Birthday, Chaunce — I am truly so proud of you and to my sister, Camille — you are MY inspiration. Thank you for allowing me to sit on the front row <3
A trip down the MySpace Blogs Memory Lane…
Love,
Chaunce’s Auntie Nina
——————————————
Jul 1, 2008
Day 40: Home, Sweet, Home// Final Update on Chaunce B.
Current mood:blessed
Only a few minutes ago, the clock struck midnight and officially brought in Day 40!!
While you can look at Day 40 as a reminder of the pain, we look at Day 40 as a reminder of the process and that we only have 1 more day to go before its time to roll on out and celebrate Chaunce’s homecoming on Wednesday, July 2nd!!!
***Rewind to this past weekend***
When you walk into room 367 at the Children’s Hospital, no longer will you see a 15 year old child who is struggling to speak, nor will you see a restless teenager constantly shifting in the “everything-but-luxurious” hospital bed to get comfortable. Nowadays, when you walk into room 367, you will see the face of a fighter, you will see the face of a survivor and most importantly, you will see the face of a BELIEVER!
In room 367, you will see the smiling face of Chaunce Binder, who is busy checking his messages, taking calls from friends abroad and feverishly texting all via his Sidekick 2-way pager.
I laugh as I enter his room thinking to myself, is this the scene of a teenage hospital patient or the scene of a 15 year old CEO, who appears to be frantically working to meet his month end deadlines, as he approves million dollar deals via “cut to the chase” conversations while simultaneously overriding executive decisions with just a push of one button!
And in room 367, Mr. Binder’s “office” is no longer the uncompromising bed that refuses to accommodate his lean 73 inches of his boyish frame, instead, he’s found a new solitude on the bluish-green couch that sits along side the wall in his room, perfectly positioned by the large window that allows every ray of sunshine to catch every angle of his face. The new sunshine quickly warms him up from the inside out and for the first time since being at Scottish Rite, he has found comfort.
Side note: And if its been awhile since visiting him, I dare you to ask him how he got to the couch and he will lower his eyebrows, look at you with concern and confidently say, “I walked, of course!” as if he’s been able to do that from Day 1!!
He looks up slowly as he sees the door opening in his perifial (sp?) vision, “Hey, Aunt Nina!” Chaunce says smiling.
“Hey Handsome!! How are you today?” I say as I lean over to kiss him on his forehead while he returns the love with a one-armed hug.
“3 more days left to go, Aunt Nina!!”
His eyes have the same glow a child has on Christmas Eve as the excitement of unwrapping new toys in less than a day over joys them.
“That’s what I’m talking about!” I say.
While Aunt Nina is very aware of the number of days left, I’m more ecstatic that this fact alone is enough to keep his spirits lifted high!
You can’t help but to feel overwhelmed with love when you walk into the sunshine-lit room and are greeted by his precious smile.
As I take a seat, I smile at Gigi, Chaunce’s grandmother who’s presence alone can bring a calm like no other.
“How was therapy today, Chaunce?” I ask.
He nods as he resumes his life as part-time CEO, part-time hospital patient, while saying, “it was good, Aunt Nina.”
I look up at Gigi and she smiles, understanding the need to fill in the blanks for me. Somethings never change, you ask a kid, how was school, you get, “fine”. You ask them, ‘what did you learn’ and you get, “you know… stuff”!
Gigi begins to tell me the details of Chaunce’s daily therapy. She describes how Chaunce continues to exceed their expectations with every challenge they give him. As his therapists are saying, “wow, Chaunce, that was great” – He’s saying, “Bring it on, what’s next!!”
Gracefully, Chaunce continues to rise to every challenge of physical, occupational, speech therapy and more.
While Chaunce would quickly disagree, I personally think his success in therapy is directly correlated to his mom, Camille’s, live performances of singing and dancing and more! As Camille would say, “I’m the sideline cheerleader”! But as Chaunce would say, “she’s just embarrassing!”
Whatever it is, we’re just excited to see his strength coming back. Funny thing though, his quick-wit seems like it never left…
One night as we teased Chaunce about his countless crushes, I asked Chaunce, “what are you gonna do when they (young girls) all come to see you at the same time???”
Without missing a beat, Chaunce looks at me and says, “go to sleep, of course!”
The entire room fills with laughter…
Chaunce B is officially back and in high demand!!
And if his fan club wasn’t enough of a confidence booster, the child surely couldn’t be stopped after receiving a personal visit from Luda’s groomer, celebrity barber, Cassius!!
And Cassius didn’t come empty handed – stepping off the plane, straight from Tokyo, Cassius brought the gift you couldn’t put a price on… The gift of a haircut!!!
Chaunce was a new man after that and feeling oh-so-good… Not just because he got his haircut after several weeks, but because LUDA’S barber was the one to shape him up!! And if THAT still wasn’t enough, the follow-up call of well wishes from Luda himself, was the ultimate icing on the cake.
Many, many thanks to Chaka, Jamal Coleman and Taiye for knowing exactly what Chaunce needed, “man-to-man”!! :-)
So, what’s next for our superstar?
Chaunce will continue intensive therapy and rehabilitation as he commutes back and forth to Scottish Rite and the goal is to get him prepared to resume school in a “normal student” capacity.
Besides working on the 20 pounds he lost, we are still working on his “new memories retention skills”. While Chaunce can vividly tell you what happened 5 years ago on any given day, he sometimes struggles to remember what happened a short while ago.
Chaunce has also struggled to pass his swallow test and due to setbacks beyond his control, he had to undergo an unexpected surgery last week, to correct his feeding tube that had been previously inserted incorrectly.
Basically, Chaunce should have already been able to swallow soft foods and liquids, but because of the setbacks, he is still being fed all of his nutrients via his feeding IV’s and tubes.
Tomorrow (7/1), Chaunce will be re-tested at 10am to see if he’s able to properly swallow. This has been one of the more frustrating parts of the entire ordeal, so we are requesting you to specifically pray for Chaunce to pass his swallow test at 10am tomorrow.
As always, thank you for your continued prayers, it is because of YOUR prayers, we have made it to see Day 38, 39 and 40!! Let’s keep it going…
Special thanks to Luda, Chaka, Jamal, Taiye and Cassius, once again for giving our fly guy his mojo back :-)
Special thanks to Keisha Walker of Insight Promotions & Marketing for the autographed Allen Iverson basketball!
Special thanks to Wendy of Signature Boutique, Mike Taylor and Rasheed & Regina Muhammad for their GENEROUS donations to the “new wardrobe fund”!!
Special, special thanks to Mike Taylor for his awesome spiritual presence and wisdom! U are so amazing!
Special thanks to the Elizabeth Baptist Church family for the non-stop support and spiritual love!
And I want to send a special, special thanks to my sister in spirit, Camille Binder, who has allowed me to witness how awesome she is as a mother and a woman! Mill, your grace is so inspiring and your heart and the love that pours from it for your children, friends and family is indescribeable. I loved you from the moment I met you, but what you’ve given me, a spiritually based sisterhood, is more than I ever bargained for. Thank you for allowing me to be “Aunt Nina” – I will love Chaunce, Chan and Gigi forever.
And last but never least, the man himself, Chaunce B, would like to leave you with a few words of gratitude and a very special scripture verse that has supplied him with internal and external strength:
“Friends and family – Thank you for riding with me! That is what got me through all of this and that is what is getting me home! Thank you for all the prayers, love and support!” – Love, Chaunce Binder
Jeremiah 10:23-24 // I know Lord that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course. So correct me Lord, but please be gentle. Please do not correct me in anger, as it would kill me.
———————
Jun 12, 2008
Day 20: Chauncey Update – He certainly hasn’t lost his swag :-)
Current mood:thankful
Day 20: Chauncey Update – He certainly hasn’t lost his swag :-)
So, (deep breathe) we have arrived at Day 20… I can’t believe, its been almost 3 weeks!!
Since the last update, Chaunce has been moved out of ICU and has continued to progress like the champ he is!
He has slowly taken steps down the hallways of Grady and his trake has finally been removed. He still has to wear his neck brace for another 7 weeks because he did suffer a skull fracture, but with the trake now being removed, he can talk a little bit… (I say a lil bit, but for some, he talks a lot – huh, Sheena!!! Smile)
Although, he sounds like the Dark Vadar gone bad, its still so good to hear him communicate his thoughts…
I think I almost melted on Monday when I was kissing him goodbye and I said to him, as I was holding both his hands, “Tell Aunt Nina something… Bye or something, Chaunce” (because we have to keep reminding him to use his words and keep speaking) and he looked me in the eye and slowly said, “I….. Love….. You…..”
I said, “You love Aunt Nina?” and he shook his head to say, “Yes”
As I sapped up, I said, “I love you so much more, sweetheart, and Aunt Nina will be here everyday until ur better!”
Chaunce may have injured his head, but God certainly did protect his heart… The love and affection he shows his support team is amazing…
Chaunce continues to show desperate signs that he’s ready to drink & eat, but unfortunately, we are still working on passing the swallow test.
With the trake being taken out, the docs have to make sure liquids travel down the right pipes…
Its heart-breaking to hear him say (every single day), I am thirsty, I am hungry!
Mentally, Chaunce is being strong considering the circumstance. His room is filled with visitors around the clock and it reminds me much of the night Vision’s closed! No place to stand, no place to sit and death-defying hot! Lol.
Well, maybe not as bad as Vision’s, but it sometimes seems like it.
What can I say though, he’s a popular kid and everybody is anxious to see him! Even Auntie Nina, who has been nicknamed, The Chaunce-Hog, is learning how to share him! Lol.
This Friday (6/13), Chaunce will be moved to Scottish Rite for Children for extensive rehab around the clock to get him well!! It was hard trying deciding which hospital would be best for this stage in his healing, but as a family, we’ve decided on SR because we can all be apart of his rehabilitation regardless of the time of day.
Although Chaunce stands 6’1 in height, he’s far from being an adult, and its important that his Mom, Grandma, younger brother and extended family members all be apart of his rehabilitation, more from a emotional, spiritual and psychological standpoint.
As with everything else, we’ve prayed about it and now must trust God will continue to bless Chaunce with the very best care to get him back to a 20 (he was a 10 before, we’re going above and beyond on this go-round!).
Lastly, we want to send a special thank you to all of the support my industry friends and peers have extended.
The love we have received from so many people who have never met Chaunce has been overwhelming…
Special, special, special thanks to…
Tip, Sheena, Kuntry, Dro, D.P and the rest of the GH fam: The voicemails and update requests have truly made Chaunce feel so special.
Sheena, I know Tip’s words of encouragement about being patient and still will hit a home run for him. Thank u for being such a Chaunce Cheerleader! U are amazing!
Dro, Chaunce is gonna hold u to the lunch u promised… Those were the wrong words to say to a teen who hasn’t eaten in 3 weeks! Oh, boy… U better bring the American Express cuz he’s gonna have an appetite outta this world!
Acie Law of the Atlanta Hawks: Ur compassion has blown us all away!! U say ur not good with words, but u couldn’t have chosen more PERFECT words to write in such a warm card. We will forever be grateful for ur random kindness! Oh, and Hawks fans too :-)
Jeezy: Ur visit was special enough, but the emails asking how he’s doing is just as special. To know, Young Jeezy cares has Chaunce floatin on Cloud 9! When I let him read ur email, he gave me his familiar sly smile. When I said, “Jeezy said if u need to borrow some swag, let em know”. He looked at me as if to say, “Now ur going too far, Aunt Nina!!” Thank you again for ur sincerity, it will never, ever be forgotten… And DATS real talk!!!
Joc, Block, J.C., Zoe & Block Ent: U guys always go above n beyond for me…
We are truly family to the 9th degree!
Joc, when Chaunce heard ur message when u said, he has become an inspiration to you, his eyes lit up. I share similar sentiments, but coming from a multi-platinum artist seems to get him moving more than it did when I said it! Hahaha :-) Thank u for being there for me and being so quick to love those that I love!
Paul Wall: Okay, when Chaunce heard ur message, he was like, “Whoooooa!” When u said, “We got u, even in Houston!,” he looked like a million and two bucks!!! U don’t talk about it, ur so about it!!!! Ur the best! Thanks for sending prayers from H-Town, we received em right away and are so grateful :-)
Tity Boi: If my nephew wants to be a Duffel Bag Boy because of ur voicemail, I’m coming after you :-) He thought he was “entitled” after hearing ur words of encouragement… Thank u for being that dude who makes it happen asap!
Levaughn & Dj: I’m still so proud of you both! What a way to ride for ur boy! When y’all walk into the room, his face lights up and its magical… Of course, when I asked Chaunce if he knew y’all have been emotional about him being in the hospital, he looked like he was about to snatch some swag cards!! Hahahaha! At 15 & 16, ur loyalty is so impressive!!! That’s something some grown men don’t even have, and yet, y’all ride for ya boy 24/7/365! I love u for that!
And to everyone else who has sent kind words of inspiration and encouragement, we THANK YOU humbly and appreciate the blessing you are!!
Love Always,
Chaunce’s Aunt Nina
(Dj & Levaughn’s too!)
——————-
Jun 2, 2008
Young Jeezy, Yung Joc & T.I. show love to Chauncey!
Current mood:inspired
Young Jeezy, Yung Joc and T.I. show love…
It started with Day 7 when Chaunce opened his eyes for his Mama.
Then it was Day 8 that he was fully responsive when his Mom and I asked him a series of questions to test his coherency, physical strength and memory. Amongst those Day 8 questions (which I didn’t include on the previous update), I asked Chaunce if he remembered coming with his Aunt Nina to the Young Jeezy fashion show – and he raised his brows to say, he remembered. I then asked Chaunce if he wanted to see Jeezy at the V103 Car & Bike Show – and again, he responded with a raise of both eye brows… But it was when Aunt Nina asked him, would Chaunce like Young Jeezy, Yung Joc and T.I. to come visit that got him to squeeze my hand so hard that it made me wonder if the child was supposed to even be in ICU…. (No lie, it was that strong!!)
Of course, Chaunce being my sweet angel, I promised him I would make it happen, so the next morning, I went to work, reaching out to Joc, Jeezy and Tip and their crews…
Having no idea of what the fella’s schedules looked like or if they would even feel comfortable making a hospital visit, I took a chance when I hit them all around noon on Saturday.
I explained to all of them what happened with Chaunce, his special request and I also took time to explain how very special this 15 year old child was to me, his mama, his Grandmother, his best friends, Levaughn & Dj and so many other people as well…
I wasn’t the least bit surprised when the replies started trickling in, one by one… First from the Grand Hustle crew, saying Tip would absolutely make the trip, then the phone calls from Block Ent saying, “you already KNOW we got you, whatever it is you need!!” I knew Block, Joc and Zoe would step up to the plate, and be ready to hit the homerun. Then Jeezy hit me personally sending prayers and well wishes on behalf of him and CTE. Jeezy immediately said, “I leave out of town tomorrow, what can I do TODAY?” The outpour of support was both moving and heart-felt…
The world is so quick to critize our hip hop artists and throw them under the bus when mistakes are made…. However, when they step up to the plate without hesitation to do philanthropic and character-building appearances for no money at all, no one acknowledges it… It’s shameful.
I have so much respect for Jeezy, Joc & Tip… Even with my late, very last minute and out-on-a-limb request, they committed to doing everything in their power to make it happen… Joc was on the road, with a late night gig, but said, consider it done… Jeezy was leaving out of town the next day and had a gig the same night, but said, consider it done… Tip was in the studio, working against the clock before having to leave out of town the next day and said, we will do everything we can to make this happen… Bless Tip’s heart, with a newborn son, studio sessions, last minute errands before having to leave out of town and a curfew that lacked compromise, he did everything in his power to make it, but didn’t. Tip said he would get by once he returned from his business trip… I told Tip, the genuine attempt is more than I could ever ask for… Anything more, is icing on the cake…
So, last night on Day 9, around 11pm, I got the call from CTE saying Jeezy would be pulling up at Grady within minutes… Along side of me, were Chaunce’s 2 best friends who have been ride or die for Chaunce from the jump… When Jeezy arrived, we went up to see Chaunce for the after-hours “special” visit and when Jeezy spoke to Chaunce, his entire face seemed to light up. His eyes were open and stayed open and when Jeezy extended his hand to shake/dap Chaunce up, Chaunce lifted his arm so tough and showed love. Jeezy did awesome… Gave Chaunce an autographed 8732 hat saying, “Get Well” and “Keep your head up” and took a few pictures with the fellas. He told Chaunce he would be back to check on him and would try to put together a small “care package” as well.
I must say, I was extremely touched…. Jeezy didn’t have any time in his day and even admitted to me, he doesn’t do hospitals, but he made it happen and Chaunce pulled out the strength to acknowledge the visit from Jeezy and his 2 best friends, Levaughn and Dj (who have both already won my heart – I’ve inherited 2 more nephews!!).
After Jeezy left on Saturday night, I asked Joc if we could reschedule his visit because my gut instinct was telling me, Chaunce may have been over-stimulated from the VIP visit… While Chaunce is making such impressive progress, we are still taking baby steps and extreme caution while he is still healing.
Day 10 – Today around 3pm, Joc arrived at Grady to see Chaunce. When I was with Chaunce prepping him for Joc, Chaunce again, blew me away with his progress… The nurse told us, they had him OUT of bed a few minutes before we arrived and he was sitting in a chair by himself. They have removed a lot of the head, arm and body tubes and the ones that remain; Chaunce has been steady trying to pull out…. Bless his heart, the child is restless and tired of being in a hospital bed, not being able to speak and constrained.
Today, as I was talking to Chaunce he pulled me very close to him, as if he wanted to say something… He could only growl with all of the tubes in his throat and such, but Aunt Nina still understood everything he wanted to say…. All I could do was kiss him on his nose and say, “I know Sweetheart, I know.”
When Joc walked into Chaunce’s room with Levaughn and Dj, Chaunce knew exactly who was there to visit… After the encouraging words and motivation from Yung Joc, we went to take pictures and Chaunce threw up the deuces as Joc leaned over his bed. This child is well on his way to a full recovery!
Many thanks to Gorilla Zoe as well for being so willing to do whatever needed to be done on Chaunce’s behalf. Honestly, everyone’s prayers and well wishes are more than we could ever ask for…
Everyday Chaunce blows us away with something new and everyday, God’s grace and favor assures us, that this too shall pass…. very, very, very soon!!!
Chaunce has been anxious to see his 7yr old brother, Chandler, and today was the day that his brother would see him for the first time…
As Chandler climbed INTO Chaunce’s bed to be under his big brother, Chan left Chaunce with the best words of wisdom as of yet…. Coming from a 7yr old child, Chandler whispered to his brother, “Talk to God in your dreams Chaunce, talk to God in your dreams…”
Amazing grace! A-ma-zing!!!
Thank you again to all of Block Ent, all of Corporate Thugz Ent and all of Grand Hustle… The love and genuine concern from the people that Chaunce has much respect for, only reconfirms how much he is loved!!!
Also, thank you to Chaunce’s best friends, 15 year old Levaughn and 16 year old Dj, who has been by my side, helping to make all of this happen for “their boy, Brazzy!” – These 2 kids understand the meaning of “ride or die” at their young age and their dedication has truly made my heart smile!
And this is truly why I, Nina Brown of the Frank & Wanda Morning Show, do what I do (as radio producer and as a member of this thing we call “the industry”)… To be able to make a few calls, send out a few emails to some of the industry’s most in-demand artists, just to bring a smile to a 15yr old ICU patient, I’ve taken in as my Godchild, my nephew and my angel, makes the blood, sweat and tears of everything I have endured to get to this point, ALL WORTH IT!!!
It’s not what I do inside the radio station that counts, but what I am able to do outside of the radio station because of what I do inside, that makes every 3am morning and every ridiculously late night count!!
Thanks for taking the time to read this email… Chaunce is doing great and we just wanted you to know.
Prayer is so powerful – Please keep sending em!
Love,
Chaunce’s Aunt Nina
*** Chaunce had a freak accident… On the last day of his freshman year, he fell while getting off the bus, hit his head on the concrete and has been in ICU since the Friday before last… Chauncey Binder suffered internal bleeding and bruised lungs.***
*
*
Be Fearless,
Nina Brown
Morning Show Producer
The Frank & Wanda Morning Show