Jade’s Brave Wing: A mother’s journey of turning trauma into hope for families navigating Brachial Plexus Injury (BPI)

Every year, thousands of babies are born with Brachial Plexus Injuries (BPI), a condition affecting arm movement and sensation that remains largely invisible in public conversation.

For Brantford resident Maureen Adedeji, this became a personal reality the day her daughter, Jade, was born.

Following a traumatic, unplanned delivery where Jade had to be resuscitated, she was diagnosed with a left BPI, damage to the network of nerves originating in the neck that control her shoulder, arm, and hand. Though it affects approximately five in every 1,000 live births globally, the diagnosis often leaves parents in the dark.

“It was devastating,” Maureen said. “You expect to step into a beautiful postpartum season. Instead, we left the hospital with fear, uncertainty, and so many unanswered questions.”

Those questions were immediate and relentless. How would they care for her injury? What would her future look like? How would they one day explain it to her?

“Most importantly, how do you support your newborn when you’re still trying to make sense of it yourself?”

The road to recovery has been intensive. At six months old, Jade underwent surgery at McMaster Children’s Hospital, followed by ongoing Occupational and Physiotherapy at Lansdowne Children’s Centre to help improve functionality and mobility in her arm. It was there that the family found their footing.

“Connecting with Lansdowne changed everything. It equipped us with the tools to help her, and that knowledge was powerful,”

said Maureen.

“Instead of falling into depression, thinking and crying so much over something that was beyond our control… I decided to pour out my heart into writing.”

Driven further by a desire to support other families, bring awareness about BPI, and representation in literature, Maureen wrote Jade’s Brave Wing, a rhyming children’s picture book that chronicles the journey of strength, therapy, support, and quiet determination of Jade as her once-still arm gradually grows stronger and takes flight. Maureen designed the book cover to cover and self-published, with global distribution.

“I had a choice: to sit in the weight of it, or to create something from it,” Maureen said. “I’m proud of what it represents.

"Every time someone reads it and connects with it, it means something.”

Beyond storytelling, the book serves a dual purpose: offering encouragement to families affected by BPI, while also helping others better understand the condition.

“It helps children process difference, but more importantly, it helps them see strength, adaptability, and resilience, not limitation,” Maureen said.

Today, nearly a year after her surgery, Jade continues to make steady progress.

“We’re not 100% there yet,” Maureen said.

“But we understand now that healing is a process. And we’re learning to be patient with that process.” 

Looking ahead, Jade’s Brave Wing marks the beginning of Maureen’s publishing journey.

“Writing has always been a way for me to process and express what I carry. It’s also rooted in my educational and professional background in marketing and communications,” she said. “Before this book, I had already started working on a memoir.”

That forthcoming memoir will explore her multi-year journey through infertility, tracing both the emotional and physical demands of the process, and the long, complex path to motherhood.

Jade’s Brave Wing is available worldwide in print and digital formats through Chapters, Indigo, Amazon, and other major book retailers. For more information, bulk orders, or speaking engagements, contact Maureen at hello@brandhandler.ca or follow her journey on Instagram @mauwizo.