Walking Miracles Family Foundation founder Brett Wilson stands in front of Shepherdstown Sweet Shop Bakery on Friday morning. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — For some survivors of childhood, adolescent or young adult cancer, the chemotherapy treatments they underwent end up having a lasting effect on their wellness. In Brett Wilson’s case, the chemotherapy and radiation treatments he was given, to heal his acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age two and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma a few years later, ended up leading to an assortment of health complications later on in life.

At age 34, the West Virginia native experienced his first major cancer treatment-related health issue.

“I had my gallbladder removed — it had calcified due to all of the chemotherapy and radiation treatments,” Wilson said, during a visit he made to Shepherdstown on Friday morning. “Then in 2008, I had my first heart scare and went to my internal medicine doctor who did an EKG, which showed that I had a 28-beat per minute heart rate. The doctor sent me by ambulance to have my first pacemaker inserted.”

Two-and-a-half years ago, Wilson’s most recent major health issue related to his childhood cancer treatments appeared, in the form of him deciding to slowly transition from male to female, due to his body majorly decreasing the amount of testosterone it was producing.

“My testosterone level was at 63. A person of my age should have had 400-600 millileters. Suffice it to say, I was a little low!” Wilson said, mentioning he tried testosterone replacement therapy, until he realized it proved too expensive and problematic for his health. “With the testosterone gel, it made my blood thicken, which made my heart pump harder, and I was having some challenges with that. I had no energy, I was depressed and I had ADHD as side effects of it. Testosterone gel was like $300 out-of-pocket, and I didn’t have that kind of money!

“Most people would not transition like I’m doing. They just would have left everything the way that it is. I couldn’t,” Wilson said.

The unexpected health concerns that arise from childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer treatments are one field of concern, covered by Wilson’s 501(c)3 nonprofit, Walking Miracles Family Foundation (WMFF). Though founded in 2012, the inspiration for WMFF came to Wilson almost 40 years ago, after noticing how his single mother struggled to provide for him and his two brothers, in the midst of cancer treatments.

“I said to my mom, ‘One day, I’m going to create a center to help families like ours, so they don’t have go through this the way that we have,” Wilson said. “Walking Miracles’ name came from my grandmother, who was an Advent Christian. She realized what I overcame — the first cancer that I had, I had a 10 percent chance to live. She recognized that I was a ‘walking miracle.'”

Today, according to its website, Walking Miracles Family Foundation helps “caregivers, families and survivors impacted by childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer in West Virginia, by navigating and connecting them to support networks and resources. Walking Miracles helps defray the cost of travel associated with treatment through our partnerships, programs and affiliations. Patients, their families and caregivers are never charged for the travel assistance, patient navigation, counseling or survivorship guidance Walking Miracles provides.”

To donate or sign up for assistance, visit https://www.walkingmiracles.org/.