Brandon Vincent Nichols
Brandon was born on January 27, 1986, Shreveport, LA. He came into this world with a bang. At 10lbs,3 oz and 23 inches long, he definetely let his presence known. Such a sweet baby his Mom, Sherri and Dad, Mike taught him well. He was always polite, caring and well mannered. From his birth to 1st grade Brandon lived in Shreveport.
Because of job opportunities, his family decided to move to Edmond OK. There he met his best friend Chris and started developing his love for sports mostly basketball. With Brandon growing in stature basketball was looking more and more appealing. Upon meeting a friend named Kyle he learned that Kyle's Dad coached a team.
Rick saw the potential of this long legged, lanky, quirky kid. He worked very hard helping to develop Brandon's game. With spending so much time with him a special bond began to form between Rick (AKA "Big Daddy") and Brandon which remained strong until his final days.
The beginning of Brandon's freshman year in high school, his family moved to Conroe TX.
At 15 years old this 6'5" young man was nervous moving to a new place as a freshman and not knowing anyone. But Brandon handled it well, especially when the High School Basketball Coach learned that this 6'5" guy could play B-Ball and told Brandon "you just made my day."
Brandon excelled in school and was placed on the varsity team starting as a freshman. For the next three years he was named "all district".
He suffered a set back between his junior and senior year, as he broke his elbow. Of course this is a "real blow" when playing sports. Never the less, Brandon didn't loose heart, fought back to recovery quickly.
Going into his senior year, Brandon's Mom and Dad divorced. Brandon decided to transfer to North Mesquite High School.
There he won 12-5A MVP, lead his school to it's first district title in more than 20 years also setting a school record for the most blocked shots ever.
Averaging 15 points 12 rebounds and 5 block shots per game, Brandon was ranked number 27th in the state of Texas.
He received many recruitment letters, but accepted a full scholarship to the University of Arkansas Little Rock. "B-Nice" was the name he was given by his fellow teammates. He was named Student Athlete of the Week and enjoyed be apart of winning the division in the Sunbelt Conference.
His senior year, a tough but much needed change, he transferred to Southwestern Oklahoma State University. There, he helped lead his team to become ranked number 8th in the Nation, and they were runner's-up in the Lonestar Conference North Division. He was one of 3 players on his team that started all 38 games that season. He was named "Player of the Game" on 3 different occassions.
Brandon did obtain his BS in Health Sciences from the University of Arkansas in August 2008. Upon graduating, Brandon was still trying to figure out exactly what he wanted to do. So he took a job at a firm in Little Rock but decided he wanted to come home and pursue teaching.
Brandon was best known by his family as funny, quirky and loving kid. His friends found him to be loyal and fun loving. Brandon has always marched to the beat of his own drum, never following the beaten path.
At 6'8" his presence was always known, don't let the size fool you because he had a gentle soul.
He found so much comfort in music. He loved playing his guitar. He had an appreciation for nature. Brandon knew what was most important to him in life were; God, family, and friends.
When Brandon found out in May 2010 that he had Stage IV T-Cell Lymphoma/Leukemia his whole world just stopped. He had just moved back to Texas to start his career. He had obtained his personal trainers certificate while waiting to receive his teaching certificate.
His cancer was very aggressive and the doctors were puzzled at the way it presented itself. They kept telling us how different and rare his was. He had tumors in all major joints, several bones and spinal fluid.
So therapy began and so did the prayers. He was started on a very strong chemo regimine which required monthly hospitalization plus going to MD Anderson three times a week to receive additional chemo.
We are thinking, he is young, an athlete, a fighter, over all in good health with all major organs, so he will beat this. Brandon knew about adversity, as an athlete, he knew about working hard and wining. We continued to pray and received much support from family and friends.
This illness showed a whole different side of Brandon. Brandon’s strength and his fight were remarkable. He showed how strong his faith was and how much he loved his family and friends.
As time marched on, and with all the chemo he was getting, this cancer was not going away. God had different plans for Brandon. Brandon knew this. He fought till the bitter end. Brandon suffered the most during his last 47 days which were spent in the hospital. The cancer had spread into his central nervous system where he became paralyzed and the paralysis started from his feet and made it’s way up to his neck.
Not once did Brandon become bitter, or loose his faith. Was he scared, yes! But he knew exactly where he was going.
On December 22, 2010, my son passed away in my arms. I was blessed to hold that sweet boy in my arms when he came into this world, and I was there holding him when he left.
Brandon made a huge impact in the short 24 years of his life. He will always be known as that sweet, loving, loyal kid who had an infectious smile.
Brandon will be missed, but NEVER FORGOTTEN by his Dad Mike & Mom Sherri & Fred Schneider, brothers Austin & Aaron sister Tiffani, his grandparents, Dick & Joyce Melin, Donnie & Yvette Nichols. His devoted Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and extended family.
