'Bingo for Brady' supports Floyd boy and family on long medical journey

Before Brayden “Brady” Donahue was even born, he became a testament to God’s faithfulness and miracles. Now at 13, he’s facing additional medical challenges but does so with an unbreakable spirit.

The son of Amy and Chuck Donahue, and brother to Bryce, Brady is described as “the kindest, most patient, compassionate soul…” Amy added that he also possesses “incredible, quiet strength” and is always thinking about others. She said he is considering becoming a veterinarian when he grows up. 

Amy said when doctors first discovered “several significant issues” during her pregnancy, they warned her that Brady “probably wouldn’t cry or breathe on his own when he was born.” Among their discoveries were problems with his bowels and lungs, tumors on his brain and kidneys, and a serious problem with his heart; they were also concerned he might have Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18, or another genetic disorder. 

Amy said the medical team closely monitored Brady, and his family “fervently prayed that God would heal our son.” She continued, “We watched as God healed everything in Brady except for his heart.”

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While he had a long road ahead of him, including his first heart surgery at four days old, Brady came into the world crying on Nov. 15, 2012. He was born with a stenotic pulmonary heart valve, which Amy explained, “means that his pulmonary valve had “turned to stone” and very little blood was flowing through it.”

“At the time Brady was born, there were only five pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons in the state of Virginia, and there happened to be two in the children's hospital that day,” Amy said. “His doctor was able to call in the extra doctor to consult, and the two of them came up with a very creative solution to repair the heart valve.”

The surgery took 13 long hours, and Brady had a rough recovery. During the procedure, the medical team accidentally punctured his heart. “They later told me that if he had been punctured just three millimeters lower, he most likely would have bled out and died before he got to open heart surgery,” Amy explained. “But the way the puncture hit formed a perfect tourniquet in the heart sack so that when he was in open heart surgery he was considered stable.”

It is the family’s faith and trust in God that carried them through very terrifying times: Brady coding many times after his first surgery, his chest having to be kept open due to swelling, and a poor prognosis.

“Our faith was and is in the Lord, and we prayed fervently for God to heal him,” Amy said. “Miraculously, Brady not only made it through the surgery (to close his chest), but he slowly started improving.” She noted that after three weeks of being in a medically induced coma, Brady’s medical team decided to start weaning him off the machines, and he slowly adjusted to being awake. 

On Dec. 19, 2013, Amy’s and Chuck’s Christmas wishes came true, and they got to bring baby Brady home. “The creative repair that the surgeons did served Brady well until he went into congestive heart failure in 2018,” Amy said.

Brady had his first valve replacement with a porcine (pig) valve in January 2019. Amy noted that some children with the same condition have to have a valve replacement and open heart surgery every year, which comes with major risks, but Brady has only needed the one thus far. 

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Amy said that in December 2025, the family’s “life came to a screeching halt” when they received the news that Brady’s tricuspid valve had started to fail. She said the medical team scheduled an MRI to get a better look at his heart and discovered in April that his replaced pulmonary valve was also failing. 

Additionally, the medical team believes Brady is suffering from “some kind of lung failure possibly associated with scar tissue from those open heart surgeries he previously had.” Brady is also slowly going blind and has profound hearing loss in one ear, Amy added. 

Amy said, “It has been heart-wrenching watching Brady's energy level go from abundant energy and being a young man who could play for hours and hours to someone who must take long naps longer and longer every day just to get the rest that he so desperately needs to survive.”

In addition to caring deeply about others, 13-year-old Brady also has an affinity for music and art, particularly drumming. Many musicians have told his parents that he has an “amazing ear” and “may be musically gifted.”

“I feel like he has had rhythm since the first time I could feel him kick in my womb,” Amy said.  

Brady also loves being outdoors with his scouting group and loves history. One of his current goals is to see all of the historic homes/museums in the Virginia 250 Passport book. 

Amy said, “Brady is a loyal friend and family member and loves with a gentle fierceness. Most of all, Brady loves the Lord with all his heart. He is always quick to help others, to lend encouragement or a helping hand, or to stop and share a prayer or even just a simple smile.”

Community members are invited to a special fundraiser, “Bingo for Brady,” to support the Donahues at 6 p.m. this Friday, July 17, at Beaver Creek Church (409 Ridgeview Rd.). The fundraiser is being sponsored by the youth group, Roof Crashers. There will be raffles, food, and fun for the whole family. Bingo cards are $10 each. All proceeds will benefit Brady’s medical bills and the cost of traveling to the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk, where all of Brady’s surgeries have been. 

Donations can also be made on this GoFundMe page, and checks can be sent to the Medical Charities of Floyd (100 E. Main Street, Rm 108, Floyd, VA  24091) with “Brady Donahue” in the memo.