In August of 2020, in the middle of the COVID pandemic, our 7-year-old daughter was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma ALK- (ALCL). We were brushing her hair and found a painful bump on her temple. Within a couple of weeks, there were two bumps. After many ultrasounds and watching, our pediatrician sent us to CHOP to have a "cyst" removed from under her eyebrow, and it was sent for pathology. Less than a week later, as I was walking into Target with our daughter to grab birthday presents for my husband, my phone rang, and our lives were forever changed. The mass was cancerous, and we needed to head to CHOP Cancer Center for our daughter to have a port placed and her first round of chemotherapy immediately.
Treatment was very aggressive, with MANY lumbar punctures, needles, and pills for over a year. The pandemic was in full swing; patients and families were kept apart. It was a terribly isolated and difficult time. A resident once said, "She will have quite a story to tell one day."
This cancer journey flipped our world into a roller-coaster of the lowest of lows and the highest of highs. We began to see life so differently and found joy in places we never imagined ourselves being.
Fundraising and advocating have been the foundation of our family's healing. We know how ugly cancer is. We know all that it takes from you, and we want to make a difference. To distract ourselves as we waited for test results, we would fundraise with toy drives and art sales to support children and research at CHOP.
In 2024, a friend and I brought our daughters to our very first Light The Night (LTN) at Mercer County Park, looking to support the blood cancer community. Up until that point, we were not familiar with Blood Cancer United (formerly LLS), but that night changed us! Because of the pandemic, we had minimal community or connections to anyone else who had experienced what we had. I sobbed through the lantern ceremony. I had no idea what to expect, and it ended up being one of the most moving moments of my life. That evening, we met Michelle Burdick as we were registering our daughter at the survivors' tent, and she asked our daughter if she would be interested in sharing her story one day. Fast forward to today, and on November 1, our daughter Brynna will be sharing her story for this year's Light The Night as Mercer County's Honored Hero.
It has been amazing to watch our daughter grow and continue to heal over the last year while working with Michelle and Blood Cancer United. The community of people connected by cancer is a force, and we are so grateful for that.
Our daughter Brynna is a force of kindness and empathy that makes the world a better place. She is a leader to her peers and exemplifies strength, all while having struggles larger than any child should ever endure. While I am an unbelievably proud mom, I genuinely believe Brynna is the perfect example of light after the darkness of cancer. Thank you for your consideration, and thank you for what you do.
Laurie
Family member and advocate
