ALBERTA, Canada — At 23 years old, Brendon Redford, who grew up in Fruit Heights and attended Davis High School, was living out his dream, playing college basketball for Lethbridge College in Canada.
"Brendon has touched many lives when it comes to basketball. He coached for a couple of places and he's played all over the place," said his sister, Heather Petersen.
But on Jan. 25, Redford didn't show up to pick up a friend at 2 p.m. or for team film at 6 p.m.
"A kid on the team felt like something was wrong, so two team members and a coach went over to the apartment to check on him," Petersen said. "They couldn't get in the apartment, it was locked, and Brendon wasn't answering his phone, but thankfully the landlord opened the door and that's when they found him unresponsive."
Redford's coach and teammates rushed him to a Lethbridge hospital. He was then flown to a Calgary-area hospital where doctors removed a large blood clot from the left side of his brain.
"He's starting to be able to talk a little bit more. He can comprehend about 70% of what you say," Petersen said. "That part of the brain was affected — the left side — which is communication and comprehension, so understanding what month it is or what city he's in is a lot harder."
The night after his stroke, Redford's teammates made him the Honorary Player of the Game and drove over two hours each way to visit him, and the "Kodiak Family" in Lethbridge hasn't stopped showing love since.
"All of Lethbridge, their sports, they've all donated everything of their games to player 13 — which is Brendon," Petersen said.
Redford is now at a Utah hospital surrounded by those who love him most, but there are still a lot of unknowns — especially around what life will look like for him moving forward.
"It's hard and sad because basketball is his whole world and plans that he had, but at the same time I know that he'll be able to accomplish other things if it doesn't work out for him," Petersen said. "He's a fighter, Brendon is a fighter if anything, so I know he won't give up until he gets back as much strength as he can."
A GoFundMe has been set up for Brendon and his family.
