March 31, 2005

COLUMBIA, S.C. –
University of South Carolina student athletes, cheerleaders and the mascot, “Cocky,” will visit Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital Friday, April 1 at 1:30 p.m. for the second annual Wesley Brown Day.
A star athlete who graduated from Spring Valley High School in 1997 and USC in 2001, Wesley Brown was diagnosed with leukemia in June 2002. In his memory, his family (father, Wayne, mother, Beth and younger brother, Taylor) and his girlfriend, Rebecca Payne wanted to create an annual event for the children at Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.
Athletes from USC’s Team Gamecocks will arrive for a visit that includes autograph sessions, room visits and photos. Chick- Fil-A restaurants will provide snacks for the children.

“This event is an indicator of the good-hearted athletes we have at USC,” said Wayne Brown. “Despite some of the negative things that have come out recently, there is a great group of athletes here and they do many positive things in the community. The children’s faces light up when they see Cocky and the athletes, so we feel this is a great tribute to Wes,” he said.

“Like most little boys, Wes loved sports and began playing baseball at five,” said Brown. “Wes was talented enough that we thought he would go on to play college football.”

After multiple hospitalizations at Palmetto Health Baptist and a stem cell transplant at Duke University Hospital in Aug. 2002, Wes died in Jan. 2003. He had begun working with South Carolina Bank & Trust in late summer 2001 and quickly distinguished himself as a management associate in the Commercial Loan Administration Dept. The South Carolina Bankers School renamed its scholarship fund in his honor. While at USC, Wes Brown worked in Dr. Palms’ office for three years and was a member of Kappa Alpha fraternity.

Rebecca Payne met Wesley in their governmental politics class at USC and the couple dated for two years. “We wanted to do an annual remembrance of Wes and the idea evolved to do something that tied together his love of sports and his compassion for hospitalized children,” she said. Payne currently is finishing medical school and will begin her residency at MUSC in Charleston. She recently returned from studies in Costa Rica.

“My wife and I both graduated from USC, so Wes always loved the Gamecocks,” said Brown. “Even when he could no longer play, he still loved to be a spectator. When Wes was in the hospital, he was always the person who would drag his I.V. pole down the hall, visiting others and trying to encourage them. Through this annual event, Wes continues to encourage others,” he added.

Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital was the first children’s hospital in South Carolina. Children’s Hospital has more than 30 pediatric subspecialties including pulmonology, cardiology, surgery, oncology, radiology, neonatology, anesthesiology, endocrinology and others. A major pediatric referral center for children from all 46 counties in South Carolina, Children’s Hospital treats more than 82,000 children each year. For more information, visit www.palmettohealth.com