People Making a Difference: Bradley Trahan

As I write this next story about Bradley Trahan and the impact he's having, I can't help but thank God for bringing the two of us together. After college in June of 2015 I moved to Rochester, MN not really knowing a lot of people in the community. The day I met Brad after interviewing him for a story gave me great joy. Brad is someone that will give you the shirt off his back. The Trahan family is very welcoming and loving and I can't say thanks enough.

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If you know Brad, you know he has a beautiful and wonderful wife named Joan. "I am just fortunate to have Joan in my life, I have the best wife, I really do. I love her a lot," said Brad. The two as a couple can be a model for many couples on what a successful and happy marriage looks like.

"There's a lot of passion in our family. It's important to have a strong work ethic and believe in a cause. I think we have set an good example for our children for what it's like to be a good parent," added Trahan. Brad and Joan have three kids, Brenden, Reece, and Payton. Brenden just graduated from Lourdes High School and will be serving our country in the United States Air Force. Reece will be a junior at Century High School. Payton will also be going back to school this fall.

For those of you that know this family know that their middle child, Reece, is autistic. Brad will tell you when they found out Reece's diagnosis, it forever changed their life. "You have good days and you have bad days, like anyone," he said. "As a family we support one another, this is so important. I'm just blessed to have my kids."

Brad has also taken Reece's story and brought it to the state level. Brad was heavily involved in getting funding passed for project lifesaver at the Minnesota state legislature. "We couldn't have done this without Senator Dave Senjem and former Representative Kim Norton," added Trahan. Recently, project lifesaver helped local authorities find a vulnerable teen.

He has also developed a local support group for parents of autistic children to attend.

"To my family, friends, community, it's truly been a cause that has been a team effort," said Trahan.

Brad, I personally want to thank you for all you are doing. Thank you for using your impact of autism in a positive way and thank you for your friendship.