Join us for our weekly “Rock Reflections,” a series celebrating Trinity alumni. From 48 states to countries worldwide, our graduates are making an impact, and we'll share their stories on Trinity's website and social media.
This week's profile is about Danny Bramer '90
From Crestwood to Trinity to Lexington to Alaska to Thailand, Danny Bramer has led a unique life of service.
Danny followed his four older brothers to Trinity from St. Aloysius Catholic School in Oldham County. His father attended the former Flaget High School.
Danny was an exceptional student-athlete, playing offensive guard for the Football Rocks for four years, including the 1988 and 1989 undefeated state championship teams. Following his senior season, Danny was named Offensive Captain of the Year and received All-District and All-State honorable mention honors. He also was a member of the National Honor Society.
Danny recalls his time playing football as an amazing growth experience. Trinity legend Dennis Lampley H’93 was his head coach.
“To work so hard as a team for a common goal and to achieve things together none of us could individually was a life lesson I still lean on today,” he said. “Coach Lampley was the consummate role model for young men – hard working, full of integrity and character, and never ever gave up on any of us. He demanded excellence from us, but of himself as well.”
Danny also remembers his Senior Retreat and serving as a retreat leader in the latter half of his senior year.
“What an amazing time of connection with Jesus and our brothers,” he said. “That was one of the first times I saw the power of locking arms with other brothers and lifting each other up and challenging each other spiritually. It was an amazing time where my faith felt tangible and my relationship to Jesus felt very real. I’m still super close to several friends from my time at Trinity. We became brothers there and have remained brothers over the years.”
Two of Danny’s favorite teachers were Greg Sysol H’03 and Tom Zehnder ’63.
“My English teacher Mr. Sysol was a surprising favorite,” Danny said. “I had never critically read literature, and he had a way of making the classics come to life for me. He really sparked an interest in poetry and reading I never knew I had.”
Mr. Zehnder taught Danny’s economics class.
“He was one of the most engaging teachers I've ever had to this day,” Danny said. “The way he made economics practical and applicable was very ahead of his time. And I still get a chuckle to this day when I think about his antics. I could go on and on because so many teachers had a massive impact on me.”
Wired to build things
After graduating from Trinity, Danny attended the University of Kentucky but was unsure what he wanted to study. In 1997, he earned a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from Eastern Kentucky University.
A mission trip to Honduras changed everything. Danny fell in love with medicine and missions and enrolled at the UK School of Medicine. He also did his medical residency in anesthesiology at the UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital.
In 2011, Danny and his family moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, where he did most of his clinical practice work. However, Danny developed an eye condition that affected his ability to practice medicine. Meanwhile, he managed a thoroughbred horse racing business in Lexington.
“Over time, I leaned more into entrepreneurship and investing because I’m wired to build things, lead teams, and solve problems,” Danny said.
In 2017, Danny purchased the legendary Kentucky Castle in Versailles, Kentucky. The castle is a boutique hotel, event venue and farm-to-table restaurant. Danny also is a real estate investor, author and founder of CashflowMD, a financial education company for physicians.
‘So, we go’
Mission work remained in Danny’s mind. He describes himself as a board-certified anesthesiologist by training but as an entrepreneur for a living. His successful entrepreneurial endeavors allow him and his wife, Jeanne, to be full-time volunteers for the Christian group Earth Mission in Myanmar (formerly Burma) and Thailand. They do medical teaching, discipleship training and strategic planning. More than 70 years of war and conflict have left southeast Myanmar with some of the worst health conditions on Earth.
“From a medical perspective, I leaned further into missions that focus on teaching and empowering locals with the knowledge and skill sets they need to continue to practice medicine long after we are gone,” Danny said.
Danny’s focus is helping strengthen healthcare in places that have little to no access to it. He’s involved with Earth Mission’s five-year physician associate training program for local students from Karen State in Myanmar.
“We train and equip them so they can return to serve their own communities and expand access to care in remote areas. Practically, that means supporting medical education, clinical training and helping get the right equipment and resources into very difficult places. We operate in remote jungle and conflict-impacted regions where ‘normal healthcare’ just isn’t a thing.”
For the Bramers, Danny said, the inspiration for their missionary work is obedience to God’s call in their lives.
“After that mission trip to Honduras all those years ago, something clicked. Medicine and missions weren’t two separate lanes anymore. They felt like one calling. But to step into the kind of places we serve now wasn’t comfortable or logical. We deeply felt like Jesus was asking us to come and join Him in this ministry. And honestly, I’m not naturally built for it. I don’t love hot, humid places where it feels like every bug, animal and plant is trying to take you out.”
There are also atrocities perpetrated by the illegitimate regime that has taken over Myanmar.
“They keep our organization literally on the run from bombings and attacks,” Danny said. “The unknown is real. The fear is real. But we’ve learned something repeatedly as we try to follow Jesus the best way we know how: the safest place you can be in the world is right in the middle of God’s will for your life.
“So, we go. Not because it's easy, but because we believe Jesus is already there and calling us to join Him. And once you’ve seen what it means to teach and empower local providers to care for their own people long after you’re gone, it’s hard to want to spend your life on anything smaller.”
Danny and Jeanne, a Henderson, Kentucky, native and an obstetrician/gynecologist, have been married 24 years. They have four children. Elizabeth, 22, is attending law school at Regent University, a Christian law school in Virginia. Twin sons, Max and Sam, 21, are studying at Asbury University and the University of Louisville, respectively. Their youngest daughter, Isabella, 17, is with them in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where she attends an international school.
Share an alumni story!
Do you know a Trinity alumnus with a compelling story? Please reach out to Travis Wagoner '90, Alumni Relations & Communications Director, at 502-736-2122 or wagoner@trinityrocks.com.
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