Brittany was born on March 31, 2000 to Phillip and Holly.  She was pure joy the very moment she entered the world.  She spread love and laughter throughout her family leaving her mark on each heart. Brittany was a very active child.  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.

After starting her second 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 a 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.  During 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 through out 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.  

Surrounded by her loving family, Brittany Marie journeyed to Heaven to be with her Heavenly Father November 6, 2008. She did not depart without leaving an impact.  She touched so many lives during the 8 years she lived. Brittany wished she wasn’t sick.  She prayed for healing for her oncology friends and herself. Her strength is what continues to push us forward in hope and perseverance.