Brianna was born two weeks early, on January 22, 2002. Born with a diaphragmatic hernia, she was quite sick and, within hours, was sent by air ambulance to Children’s Hospital in London. Surgery took place when Brianna was just four days old and her mom knew, from that moment on, that her daughter was a fighter – a trait that she’d exhibit again, 17 years later.
Fast forward those 17 years, to April 2019, when Brianna was complaining of pain in her left leg. With Brianna’s school work and job at a restaurant, she spent a lot of time on her feet; her mom, Wanita, thought it was a pulled muscle or perhaps even growing pains. On July 13, as Brianna was getting ready for work, she found a lump on the inside of her left thigh. It felt like a knot in a muscle but Wanita decided she’d make an appointment with their family doctor on Monday. Later that day, however, the lump seemed much bigger so the decision was made to take Brianna to the ER at their local hospital. Bloodwork was done at that point, with the family returning the next morning for an x-ray and ultrasound.
The following morning, they were on their way to Children’s Hospital to meet with a paediatric oncologist, not really knowing what was happening. They were given the news that Brianna more than likely had cancer and tests began with an MRI and a CT scan.
Brianna remained positive throughout, but when the test results came back a few days later, life changed. “Our oncologist told us that Brianna had Ewing Sarcoma,” remembers Wanita, “and that she already had metastases to her lungs. My heart broke.”
Brianna, still optimistic, looked at her mom and, with a big, beautiful smile, said “Don’t worry Mom, I got this!”
Many more tests were conducted and Toronto’s SickKids asked if they could do research on her cancer. “She said, of course, if she could help someone else, she was all for it!” says Wanita. Despite receiving the worst news, Brianna stayed optimistic, lighting up the room with her radiant smile.
Before starting chemotherapy, Brianna decided she wanted to dye her hair blue; if she was going to lose it, she wanted it to be blue! With her - and her brother’s - hair dyed, Brianna began an aggressive chemotherapy protocol in August. As it continued, Brianna became more and more ill, suffering from dehydration from the nausea or with a fever. She still kept her smile and her positive outlook.
In September, Brianna had a really bad night at home, waking up with severe pain in her back that Wanita wasn’t able to resolve. Back in London, many different medications were used to control the pain before Brianna was sent for further tests. “I was scared with every fibre of my being,” recalls Wanita.” Every time Brianna went for a test, the results were always bad.”
This time was no exception. Brianna’s care team delivered the news that the cancer in her lungs had grown – and they also shared their concern that they might not be able to cure her cancer. Brianna was in the hospital over the weekend as they waited for more test results. Uncertain whether the growth had occurred before or after her treatment, Brianna’s oncologist decided to stick with the current chemo protocol. All remained hopeful that it was indeed working.
Brianna continued to attend school whenever she could, seeing her friends, classmates and teachers. “Our generous little community supported us in so many wonderful ways,” says Wanita.” I am truly grateful for all the help from family and friends, as well as the support from Childcan. It allowed me to focus on my child’s treatment, her care and her spirit.”
That treatment continued with Brianna back in London during the first week of October for her chemo. That was when the family received the worst news yet. “Brianna’s team came into our room. When your whole team comes into your room, it’s never good news,” Wanita explains.
The results from genetic tests that had been run on Brianna’s tumour were back. These showed that her cancer was not Ewing Sarcoma but a metastatic undifferentiated round cell sarcoma – and that no chemotherapy would cure her cancer.
Wanita remembers that her heart sank but that Brianna turned to the team and said, “Well, it could be worse. You could have told me it had moved to somewhere else.” Always optimistic, Brianna decided that she didn’t want to be in the hospital any longer, wanting to enjoy her time and be as happy as she could be. Worried about protecting her family and her friends, she thought it was her responsibility to break the news to her loved ones, which she did just after Halloween.
“I think Brianna knew her time was near and felt she needed to be the strong one for all of us,” says Wanita. “Brianna passed away on November 8, 2019. She took a piece of my heart with her.”