Vibrant, energetic, beautiful, athletic, courageous…that was Brittany from day one. At 19, she was the picture of health and on her way to the future of her dreams. Brittany was a college sophomore, a gymnast and a coach. Until September 2006. At first, the nagging cough and lethargy was more a nuisance than a concern, but after 2 months of various doctors, diagnoses, and medications, an open lung biopsy was finally done. Three days later Brittany was diagnosed with a lung cancer so rare in her age bracket that a leading cancer center had only four cases total in their records.
A double lung transplant looked to be her only option, but the cancer was very aggressive and she began declining very quickly. Soon, due to her decline and the unusual nature of this cancer, the transplant was no longer an option and she was to be treated with a new targeted chemotherapy drug that had shown some quick results in clinical trials. However, the cancer didn’t respond as quickly as we had hoped, and she just didn’t have the amount of time needed for the treatment to take effect. Three weeks after being diagnosed, Brittany lost her battle with lung cancer.
Brittany’s mom writes, “This beautiful young lady, not quite 20, was a fighter right up until the end. A role model of grace and dignity, she’s left a wonderful legacy for her siblings and friends to follow. Our prayers now are that her legacy lives on through us. Brittany’s Battle is far from over…we are fighting on until the day NO ONE has to fight anymore.”
Magan, Michael, and Jai riding through Raleigh with Joel in memory of Brittany
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