Gaffney High senior Brandon Coggins survived an early heart condition to earn 12 years perfect attendance and will graduate with honors June 6. Brandon Coggins overcame an early heart condition on his way to 12 years of perfect school attendance and a golf scholarship at North Greenville University.

Brandon had open heart surgery when he was five years old to repair a hole in his heart. The condition was discovered by a doctor in May when he went for a routine physical exam before he enrolled in kindergarten.

Brandon, the son of Richard and Mary Coggins, was sent to heart specialist Dr. Craig Greene at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. He was diagnosed with Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), a medical condition characterized by a hole between the atrium and septum chambers of the heart.

The hole in Brandon's heart caused small amounts of oxygen to be released and returned to the lungs instead of oxygen going directly through the heart to the body.

Brandon was immediately scheduled for open heart surgery.

ASD is not unusual among children and symptoms are typically not present. If left untreated, the condition can lead to serious heart trouble in young adulthood.

"It was really hard to believe all of this was happening. Brandon had no symptoms and the hole had never been found. The hardest part was when we had to pull him off the baseball field the night before the surgery," Mary Coggins said. "The doctors put a patch over his heart that would grow at the same time as Brandon."

Brandon spent 12 days in the hospital recovering from a high fever after the surgery.

He was well enough by the end of the summer to join his classmates at J. Paul Beam Elementary.

Brandon will join 330 Gaffney High seniors in walking across the stage to receive their high school diplomas June 6. The 8 p.m. graduation ceremony will be held at W.K. Brumbach Stadium, weather permitting. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will move into the school gymnasium.

Brandon is one of six county high school seniors recognized statewide for 12 years of perfect attendance.

Mary Coggins said her son never got sick after the heart surgery and was lucky to avoid childhood diseases such as chicken pox. Still, the Gaffney High senior didn't get serious about school attendance until he finished J. Paul Beam Elementary.

"I found out I had perfect attendance at the end of the sixth grade. I decided I'd try to keep it going," Brandon said. "There were times I didn't feel well, but I went to school anyway."

Brandon has excelled academically and on the Gaffney High golf team. He was selected to the All-Region golf team and helped rally the North all-stars to victory last weekend at the North-South All-Star Golf Tournament at Farmstead Golf Links.