Brittany's Story

Brittany was one in approximately 46 children diagnosed with cancer each day. Cancer is the number one killer of children by disease and 2/3 of children that survive will live with life long side effects.

Before Cancer... 

Brit was a very active little girl.  She loved to ride her bike, driving her 4 wheeler, go cart, mini-motorcycle and ice & roller blade skating.  She was very competitive and it showed in her desire to do her best. She also was quite the prankster.  She loved to catch us off guard with a joke or magic trick.  She loved to help in the kitchen and took great pride in being able to say “I cooked that.”  She loved music, singing and had a natural talent for dancing.  Most importantly, Brittany loved her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Unexpected...

After starting her second grade year of school as a Saturn Superstar, Brittany began to complain of being tired and began to show excessive bruising. She also developed what appeared to be cold sores on her lips that began to bleed.  After seeing the pediatrician, she was immediately sent for blood work at the local hospital. The next day she was seen again by her pediatrician who voiced concern that Brittany’s blood work showed characteristics of cancer cells. The very next day (September 27, 2007) Brittany was seen at Nemours Hematology/Oncology office where it was confirmed that Brittany had AML-M5a (Acute Myeloid Leukemia). She was immediately admitted to Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital for treatment.  The plan was to treat with extensive chemotherapy for 6 months in hopes for remission.  Brittany did achieve remission after her first round of chemotherapy.  Over the course of treatment she was able to go home for brief stays while her blood counts recovered.   Brittany and family packed in as much fun in those days as possible.  Unfortunately, the 6 rounds of chemotherapy damaged Brittany’s heart to the point of needing a heart transplant.  After spending almost a month in PICU she returned to the oncology unit to work on getting stronger. On the day she was released from the Hospital she was surprised with her very own dog “Sonny” and a limo ride home.

​Brittany remained in remission until August 2008 when she relapsed and would need a bone marrow transplant to survive.  Chemotherapy began again, but sadly did not touch the cancer that continued to spread throughout her body.  At that point options were running out. Brittany and family packed in one more fun outing on her Make A Wish trip to Nickelodeon Hotel.

​​Brittany’s Journey to Heaven... 

On November 6, 2008, Surrounded by her loving family, Brittany Marie journeyed to Heaven to be with her Heavenly Father. The hardest words ever spoken, “Baby girl, when you see Jesus - run to him."    She did not run from this world without leaving an impact.  She touched so many lives during the 8 years she lived. Brittany wished she was not sick.  She prayed for healing for her oncology friends, her family and herself. She would often ask for prayer because she knew God could do all things. Remembering her strength is what continues to push us forward to ease the burden for other children fighting cancer. Holding Brittany’s memory close, Brittany’s Wish Inc. sprung into action to help other families and their child along the journey to beat cancer.