Braxton Battaglia, an eighth grader at Westwood Middle School in Blaine, was drawn to gymnastics at a young age. Her parents, Erin and Dan Battaglia, encouraged it as an activity, particularly during the colder months in Minnesota.
Erin Battaglia told “Practicing Catholic” host Patrick Conley on the program set to air at 9 p.m. Dec. 20 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, “She was super young, and she just fell in love with it right away. … She grew in her confidence and when she got old enough to start competing, we started to see that really competitive nature in her come out. She did well, it boosted her confidence as well, and her friendships. A lot of her friends were friends that she made at the gym.”
During the summer of 2018, Battaglia noticed Braxton, who was 8 at the time, was tired and had a lot of joint pain. They attributed it to practicing so much and didn’t think much of it.
“She was getting more fatigued, joint pain, and then she started to get really, really bad headaches,” Battaglia said. “With her diagnosis, it was a little bit trickier because normally with leukemia, it’s in the blood and it presents right away. But for her it was in her spinal fluid. It took a lot more investigation to figure out what was wrong with her initially. … I was shocked but at the same time, I knew something wasn’t right and something needed to get fixed.”
Braxton was treated at Masonic Children’s Hospital at the University of Minnesota. Battaglia said she was a bit overwhelmed by the two-and-a-half-year treatment plan for leukemia, but she and Dan were confident in the team of medical professionals.
Also, Battaglia noted that she and her husband had support from their parents, other family members and their parish.
“Our priest, Father Paul Shovelain (at St. John the Baptist in New Brighton), came to the hospital within Braxton’s first week or two of diagnosis and did the anointing of the sick,” Battaglia said. “(T)hat was special and important to our family. I think that all of us found strength in our faith that she was going to be OK. There’s a lot of hope to be had there and a lot of faith that we need to exercise in those times.”
In the next episode of “Practicing Catholic” debuting Dec. 27, Battaglia will conclude the story of her experience with Braxton’s journey with leukemia and how her diagnosis was used to create the TB1 fund, which provides items and experiences to patients at Masonic Children’s Hospital at the University of Minnesota to encourage recovery.
To hear more from Battaglia about her journey with her daughter’s leukemia diagnosis and treatment, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. Dec. 21 and 2 p.m. Dec. 22.
The program also includes a discussion with Father Jim Livingston about the timeless story of the Three Wise Men and their journey to follow the star with faith. Also, Greg and Julia Hughes share the story of the development of Chapter Two, a retreat designed to provide hope and guidance for couples in second marriages.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the program can also be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
