Happy New Year from the Markham's
- brittanymarkham
- 7 days ago
- 5 min read
Happy New Year! Some people get their holiday cards out (digitally or physically) before Christmas, but not us! We just wrapped up Damian's Christmas Village this past weekend though, so I think we are more than justified, haha.
Our last in-person fundraising event of 2025 went so well, I couldn't be more pleased! I reviewed all the specifics in my last post, but today's is our annual family newsletter! It sometimes feels a little silly talking generally about our year (because so many of you were right there going through it ALL with us), but I enjoy having these at least for my future self - and it's good to reflect and realize how much has happened in just a year!
2025 for the Markham Family
From celebrating Damian's 6th birthday and Brock's and my 10th wedding anniversary to relentlessly fighting and advocating for Damian in and out of the hospital while raising as many funds for treatment as we could, 2025 proved to be another full year for our family.
Brock is our resident actor, working as a performer at Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Medieval Times (sometimes working at all three in the same week or two in the same day!) Additionally, Brock hustles to get as much work as he can on set, which this year included stunt work in a music video and work as a photo double for Chris Pratt in the TV show "The Terminal List: Dark Wolf."
The big highlight though was getting to do stunts in Brock's first major motion picture! With pride, Brock can now officially say he was paid to get punched by Liam Neeson in "The Naked Gun." Brock and I even got to go to a cast & crew screening event at Paramount Studios - it was so surreal to see Brock on the big screen and see his name in the credits! We are sure this is just the beginning for him!
I (Brittany) continue to work part-time from home as a contractor for a company that designs theme parks, among many other live and location-based entertainment experiences. I've been so blessed to continually get flexible work opportunities - the flexibility is vital because I care for Damian 24/7. Whether it's going to Damian's daily therapies or doctor appointments or infusions or tests, we do a lot of running around!
This year at Church I also began serving as a teacher for the adult Sunday School class. Over the past few years I've become more studious over the scriptures than I have ever been before and it's been an incredible blessing to my life. And while public speaking is not my comfort zone, this regular opportunity to practice teaching adults and leading discussions about the scriptures has been a great opportunity for growth in a lot of ways! In 2026 I will be studying and teaching the Old Testament, and I am so excited for it!
Of course, on a day-to-day basis my mind is constantly on fundraising and trying to bring more attention to our campaign through big art projects and events. This year I made a large train for our entry in our city's 4th of July parade and expanded our 2 major fundraising events: Damian's Not-So-Haunted House in October and Damian's Christmas Village in December. At the time of writing this, we are less than $5,000 from reaching our year-end goal of $1.16 million in total funds raised for developing lifesaving treatment for Damian and I think we are going to reach it!!!
And finally, the biggest love in our household, Damian (6), is just as sweet as ever! He has such an incredible talent for getting even more snuggly and lovable as he gets bigger, I can hardly stand it!
But oh my goodness, he is getting SO big! Damian is exactly 4 feet tall and about 45 pounds! He also lost his first 3 teeth this year and there are a few more that I'm sure will push themselves out over the next few weeks! While Damian getting bigger means more mass for me to lift and hold and carry, it is SUCH A BLESSING to see him grow.
We have come so far and are in unprecedented territory in terms of Damian's health. This year I fought and won the battle of increasing Damian's experimental brain medication dose two times - and the escalation of the dose does seem to have helped! While it's seems clear to me that Damian's neurological health is worsening, the regression has slowed even more. His seizures are getting stronger and lasting longer, but I've also been figuring out tricks to prevent them or help him to come out of them quicker.
Damian is also such a hard worker in his therapies. He goes to therapy once or twice every weekday (besides the day we reserve for doctors appointments and infusions) and while not every day is a strong day for him, he always gives 100%. He is so smart and I can tell he can understand at least many things that he hears - I especially love watching a change in his expression when I'm talking with someone and the conversation changes to be about him or something he enjoys. Damian still loves to be read to, to be sung to, and most of all to be snuggled! One of my favorite moments from this year was taking him to Disneyland and watching the nighttime parade with him - he loves watching people dance and he loves lights and music, but I didn't expect him to get so excited and energized! After the parade he motioned like he wanted to stand up, so I helped balance him and he stood (assisted) for several minutes while we "danced" a bit!
It's moments like this that are SO encouraging to me and drive me to keep pushing our campaign forward as fast as possible. The rest of his body is doing so much better thanks to his infusions - if we can just apply the same help to his brain so he can better control and strengthen his muscles...
With all that we fit into 2025, the year has seemed to fly by. We have many hopes for the future and I am feeling more ambitious than ever to make progress in our campaign to develop lifesaving treatment for Damian (and other children with ASMD as a result). He is so worth it. He is such a light in our lives and brings so much love to our home. God is with us in our fight always - we all know it - and more than anything, I'm grateful for the growth in our relationships with Him this past year.
Happy New Year to all our family, friends, and all of you, who I affectionately think of as Damian's Village or as "honorary aunties & uncles" of our sweetest little love. 2026 is going to be a big one!
<3
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