Brandon318web

THE FIGHT TO
OVERCOME
Do you remember what
it was like to be a kid?
You probably did things like ride bikes with the
neighborhood kids, throw stink bombs at each other that
you had scandalously purchased from the ice cream
man, and played baseball in the backyard between
trampoline and swing set height-jumping competitions.
Each day was always an adventure waiting to happen.
But just like those childhood baseball games, life can
throw us curve balls sometimes. They come in many
forms; some can be surmounted in a day, and some
we will spend a lifetime overcoming. But that’s what we
do as people: we overcome. The Bargender family
knows this all too well. This is the story of their journey
of strength, love, and patience through faith.
David and Jennifer Bargender are originally from
sunny California. David, an engineer with Raytheon, was
transferred out of state. In August of 2007, David and
Jennifer, along with their six children, made the
community of Crossgates their new home in Brandon,
Mississippi. After having four daughters in a row, the
streak was broken when the family welcomed twin
boys; Mitchell and Matthew.
Leah Mitchener
Though they were born together, the boys have faced
separate challenges in their 13 years of life so far. Mitchell
is on the autism spectrum and is considered highfunctioning,
nonverbal. Matthew, on the other hand, has
been battling kidney, liver, and heart issues since the age
of three that have caused him to be very small for his age
and dictated a life full of doctor visits and hospital stays.
Matthew’s diagnosis is known as Primary Hyperoxylaria
Type 1, which is a genetic condition characterized by
recurring kidney and bladder stones. The condition often
results in end stage renal disease, and can be life-threatening.
Hometown Brandon • 35