2024 Honored Patient: Brighton
We’ve heard many times that there are people who have been given the right name, a name that seems to perfectly embody the personality of its owner. Brighton is one of these people. She is a girl that can change the atmosphere of a room simply by being in it. Brighton is a bearer of light. Where she goes, so does the sunshine. But 2 ½ years ago, a dark cloud came in and threatened to take our sunshine. Through faith, the amazing oncology team at Children’s Minnesota, and the determination of a little girl who refused to give up - the clouds have passed.
We spent February 2022 like most others in the Midwest. Someone in the family caught a cold, and before long all of us were experiencing the all too familiar symptoms that generally accompany a virus. And just like so many times before, the symptoms went away, and life went back to normal. But not for Brighton. Every few days, she would spike another fever and be so tired that she barely had the energy to get off the couch. This went on for a couple of weeks. Some days were normal, while others were filled with fever and fatigue. Before long, unfamiliar symptoms began to present themselves; night sweats, bloody noses, and little red dots covered her legs and tummy. Her preschool teachers had noticed that she had become very pale and possibly low iron. We'd hoped iron supplements would alleviate the issue, but it did not. The following weekend we had friends over for a visit and Brighton asked if she could go to bed early. This was not like her; she always wants to be where the action is. We decided it was time to get her checked out. We took her to urgent care and after bloodwork was done, we were sent directly to the Children’s Minnesota Emergency Department in Minneapolis. After several hours at Children’s, we were informed that we wouldn't be going home. We were to be admitted to the seventh floor, the oncology floor. This was it; this was the moment that changed our lives forever. We looked into each other’s eyes and in silent prayer went to war for our baby girl.
After we settled into our room, we met one of the oncologists that Children’s so wisely staffs 24 hours a day. He explained to us that we would be given our official diagnosis the next day, but he was almost positive that it would be B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. If this was the case - she would be fine. The road would be long, and it would be hard, but in the end she would be fine. She would grow up, she would have babies, and she would be fine.
Over the last 2 1/2 years, we've returned to those words thousands of times, "She will be fine." When she would spike a fever at 3:00 a.m. and we brought her to Children’s for antibiotics in the middle of the night, we would tell ourselves, "She will be fine." When she was on 29 days of steroids and unexpected rage exploded out of her, we would whisper, "She will be fine." When she all but lost the ability to walk from the aggressive but necessary chemo, we would remind ourselves, "She will be fine." When she had infections in her blood and brain and her digestive system was shredded by an oral chemo, we would pray that, "She will be fine." When her lumbar puncture did not heal and she lost spinal fluid which caused intense migraines for days on end, we stood in faith....”She will be fine."
We held on tight to the promise of a doctor that we had known for 10 minutes and built our future on that promise. With the faith of a child, we believed. And today praise God, she is fine. She will grow up. She will have babies. And she will always be fine.
This experience has reminded us to be grateful for all the amazing blessings in our lives. We’re grateful that Brighton had access to the Pediatric Rehabilitation staff who understood her unique needs as a pediatric cancer patient and taught her how to walk again. Our son, Braddock, who is the most wonderful, smart, funny kid ever, has brought us endless joy and we are so proud of him and his positive and encouraging attitude. When all the attention was on Brighton, he never got down or complained. He is exactly what a big brother should be. Our family and friends who filled in the gaps and helped keep our lives moving. They prayed for us. They supported us and the reminded us that we could keep going. To the doctors, nurses, and care team who saved our baby girl...we don’t know how to express the depth of our gratitude. They saved our daughter and brought the sunshine back into our lives.
We spent February 2022 like most others in the Midwest. Someone in the family caught a cold, and before long all of us were experiencing the all too familiar symptoms that generally accompany a virus. And just like so many times before, the symptoms went away, and life went back to normal. But not for Brighton. Every few days, she would spike another fever and be so tired that she barely had the energy to get off the couch. This went on for a couple of weeks. Some days were normal, while others were filled with fever and fatigue. Before long, unfamiliar symptoms began to present themselves; night sweats, bloody noses, and little red dots covered her legs and tummy. Her preschool teachers had noticed that she had become very pale and possibly low iron. We'd hoped iron supplements would alleviate the issue, but it did not. The following weekend we had friends over for a visit and Brighton asked if she could go to bed early. This was not like her; she always wants to be where the action is. We decided it was time to get her checked out. We took her to urgent care and after bloodwork was done, we were sent directly to the Children’s Minnesota Emergency Department in Minneapolis. After several hours at Children’s, we were informed that we wouldn't be going home. We were to be admitted to the seventh floor, the oncology floor. This was it; this was the moment that changed our lives forever. We looked into each other’s eyes and in silent prayer went to war for our baby girl.
After we settled into our room, we met one of the oncologists that Children’s so wisely staffs 24 hours a day. He explained to us that we would be given our official diagnosis the next day, but he was almost positive that it would be B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. If this was the case - she would be fine. The road would be long, and it would be hard, but in the end she would be fine. She would grow up, she would have babies, and she would be fine.
Over the last 2 1/2 years, we've returned to those words thousands of times, "She will be fine." When she would spike a fever at 3:00 a.m. and we brought her to Children’s for antibiotics in the middle of the night, we would tell ourselves, "She will be fine." When she was on 29 days of steroids and unexpected rage exploded out of her, we would whisper, "She will be fine." When she all but lost the ability to walk from the aggressive but necessary chemo, we would remind ourselves, "She will be fine." When she had infections in her blood and brain and her digestive system was shredded by an oral chemo, we would pray that, "She will be fine." When her lumbar puncture did not heal and she lost spinal fluid which caused intense migraines for days on end, we stood in faith....”She will be fine."
We held on tight to the promise of a doctor that we had known for 10 minutes and built our future on that promise. With the faith of a child, we believed. And today praise God, she is fine. She will grow up. She will have babies. And she will always be fine.
This experience has reminded us to be grateful for all the amazing blessings in our lives. We’re grateful that Brighton had access to the Pediatric Rehabilitation staff who understood her unique needs as a pediatric cancer patient and taught her how to walk again. Our son, Braddock, who is the most wonderful, smart, funny kid ever, has brought us endless joy and we are so proud of him and his positive and encouraging attitude. When all the attention was on Brighton, he never got down or complained. He is exactly what a big brother should be. Our family and friends who filled in the gaps and helped keep our lives moving. They prayed for us. They supported us and the reminded us that we could keep going. To the doctors, nurses, and care team who saved our baby girl...we don’t know how to express the depth of our gratitude. They saved our daughter and brought the sunshine back into our lives.
“This experience has reminded us to be grateful for all the amazing blessings in our lives. We're grateful that Brighton had access to the Pediatric Rehabilitation staff who understood her unique needs as a pediatric cancer patient and taught her how to walk again. To the doctors, nurses and care team who saved our baby girl, we do not know how to express the depth of our gratitude. They saved our daughter and brought the sunshine back into our lives."