Nick Braun is going to graduate from high school this year. Four years ago, that was not a certainty. Not because Nick didn’t study or make the effort. Nick was a victim of a life-threatening gun shot wound and he was rushed to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital.

The child who shot Nick was left home unsupervised and had access to a loaded gun. The gun went off and the bullet hit Nick in the abdomen. When the helicopter arrived to transport Nick, his mother Marty didn’t hesitate to tell them to take him to Mary Bridge.

“We were lucky to get him to Mary Bridge and have pediatric surgeon Randall Holland, MD, perform the surgery,” said Pete Braun, Nick’s father. “The bullet wound caused significant internal damage, and Nick’s bile duct was so severely injured that Dr. Holland had to reconstruct it.”

Pete and Marty have made Mary Bridge an important part of their life and have taken every opportunity to thank our caregivers, attend events, advocate for others to support the hospital that saved Nick. They’ve included Nick in those efforts as well.

Both Pete and Nick have participated in the Courage Classic, a 162 mile bicycle tour over three Washington mountain passes that benefits Mary Bridge and the Child Abuse Intervention Department. Nick made the ride, just four and a half months after the unfortunate gun shot incident. He has also been back on the soccer field and is trying to decide where he will go to college. All of these are typical teenage activities but even more special considering Nick’s life and near-death experience.

“We owe Mary Bridge a great deal,” said Pete. “They will always be a special place for our family and we are so thankful to have our boy!”