Cancer and Team Brittany Part 1

Hi everyone, I know for the most part I have been posting outfits and random things but today I want to share something really personal and extremely dare to my heart. A few months ago I learned of a 15 year old student in my mother's class who was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma (bone cancer). Her name is Brittany. Brittany's had an extremely large cancerous mass on her left shoulder and arm. Unfortunately, she was not covered under any form of health insurance and her family simply could not afford to absorb such bills. It was advised that Brittany's best chance at survival would only happen if she was able to attend doctors who specialized in this type of cancer in the United States. To see her having to wait around for the necessary funds to see a doctor to save her life was such a painful experience for me. Even though, I lived on another island and had never met her, I had a strong and passionate desire to help her.

I decided to create a Facebook page called Team Brittany, The Fight Against Cancer (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-Brittany-the-Fight-against-Cancer/498605970189246). Immediately a God sent friend whom I've never even met to date (Nadei) joined me as an administrator to the page. Nadei has been and still is such an amazing blessing to Team Brittany. Somehow Brittany became our child, though we only spoke to her on the phone and had never met her. Nadei and I had days when we would cry and pray and declare victory and healing over Brittany. Personally, I exercised the kind of Faith I didn't know I had. We used the page to solicit donations for Brittany and we were absolutely amazed at the kind of support we got. Initially, I was afraid to ask for donations because of fear I would get NO, but I realized my pride couldn't be bigger than Britt's life. Every time someone would come forward with a donation I would cry, there were kids walking up to me in church and at work with $1 saying they wanted to help, and of course I would cry. We had persons from other countries whom I had never reached out to making donations, and again I would simply cry.... I was never so humbled and touched by the generosity of others like I was during this time.

There were so many, I mean so many disappointments in trying to get Brittany to see a U.S doctor....from not having a proper referral to you name it and it happened. She would be all set to go and then there would be something or another. When Brittany finally left she was to go to a lab and do some scans and other test which were to cost about $3000-$5000. Paying this meant she would be literally be left with no money for food, transportation or accommodations. But the favor of God had already began to reveal itself. I was at work worried sick about the bills that were to come when I got an email that the Lab had decided to complete all of Brittany's scans and test for free. Nadeia and I screamed and cried with joy. Keep in mind, I have never met Nadeia, nor had I met Brittany in person yet.

When Brittany finally saw her doctors, they were very concerned about her, they immediately without hesitation admitted her into the hospital. We were told that she had come to the U.S just in time, while we were looking at her cancer and thinking that was the biggest problem, the doctors said that because of the size and weight of the tumor, it was very likely that had she not gotten to them she would have went into heart failure, according to test results. WHEN I HEARD THIS, I THINK I DIED A MILLION TINY DEATHS. I'll skip past this part because I find it very hard to think or talk about.

Brittany underwent many rounds of chemotherapy, and radiation. The treatments were to shrink the mass in her arm )so that it was operable) which after a few rounds it did. I went to visit Brittany for the first time while she was at Jackson Memorial Hospital. I was absolutely terrified, I just asked everyone to pray for me to be strong enough. When I finally got to her room door, I took a deep breath and said "Lord, you cannot leave me now". When I got into Brittany's room it was as if I had known her all my life. We just started talking and laughing as if cancer was not at the forefront of our minds. Brittany's personality blew me away. She had a spirit that I had never ever encountered in my life. There was something about her that compelled me to be a better person, the best person I could be.

It was very difficult for Brittany to walk or move around because of the massive tumor on her arm. I would ask her, do you want anything? "yes mam" "no mam", she would say thank you a million times, every time I adjusted her pillow her pulled up her blanket "thank you". Right away, she became a very important part of me. I thought that I would get her some donations, help her out and that would be it, but then she became a part of my purpose in life. There were many occasions where she simply amazed me to no end. I would get a text or a call from her and she would want to know how I was doing. When I left her hospital room to go to my hotel, she would refuse to go sleep until I called her to say I made it in safely. I would be with her for the entire day and she would say "oh you need to eat something". If humans are also angels she has to be one.

I WILL BE BACK WITH PART TWO, WHERE THINGS GOT REALLY TOUGH FOR BRITTANY. DOCTORS WOULD DELIVER THE KIND OF NEWS THAT FIRST SENT ME TO MY KNEES IN TEARS AND THEN ON THOSE SAME KNEES IN PRAYER.

VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. Below is a picture of Brittany before she went to the U.S for treatment.

Please do no use this picture in any malicious form. I am only sharing Brittany's story in hopes that it will somehow bring more awareness to children and adults fighting cancer every single day. This is a story about a teenager's journey to remain alive, that highlights, her humbleness, her grace, her faith, her set backs, her blessings and her ability to fight.

I love this girl..... everything about her...... to know her is to love her and to love her is to live!