On December 4th, 2020, Amanda Fiorini took her daughter Bryttan to the doctor for some “ticks” she’d started having. After a possible diagnosis and course of action that just didn’t sit right with Amanda, she trusted her gut and requested a CT scan. Before they were even out of the parking lot, Children's Hospital (Liberty) called and said, “Can you be here tomorrow, we have an opening at 2 o'clock?" So the next day, on December 5th, Amanda took Bryttan for imaging. From there, everything started to move pretty quick. Amanda and Bryttan were told to immediately go downtown to Children’s Main Campus. Once there, they were to go in through the ER where a Neurosurgeon was waiting for them. That…would be the beginning of a long, hard, extensive fight for Bryttan and her family.
On December 5th, Bryttan was officially diagnosed with a brain tumor and was immediately hospitalized. The tumor that Bryttan was diagnosed with was so large that it was also causing her to have Hydrocephalus. A condition that occurs when a tumor is so large it blocks the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid, which only adds to the complexity of what Bryttan was going through. So at 11 years old, when she should be having sleepovers and making Christmas cookies, Bryttan would instead be having a partial resection to remove her brain tumor. Today, part of that tumor is still there, but thankfully, it’s stable. However, Bryttan’s road has been anything but cut and dry, as there’s no one size fits all solution to cancer. Especially pediatric cancer. For Bryttan, the “standard” treatments were brutal…setting off a serious of endocrine disorders that have forced her into Hormone Replacement Therapies, caused her to now also battle Diabetes Insipidus (which is different from other diabetes in that it doesn’t affect blood sugar, but rather things like water retention, blood pressure, and sodium balance). It also gave her neuropathy so bad that her hands and feet curled up, leading her to endure endless physical therapy where she is now, for the 3rd time, trying to walk once again.
For Bryttan, over the last 5+ years, one bright spot in her journey…that’s provided not only encouraging results but also quality of life…has been the targeted therapy she’s been able to receive. It’s been a game changer. But access to these therapies hasn’t been easy. There’s lots of hoops to jump through and red tape that has to be dealt with. In a world where chemotherapy’s been established as the widely available standard (it hasn’t changed in the last 60 years), it’s not necessarily always the best option, as was the case with Bryttan.
For kids with pediatric cancer, you’d think there’d be pediatric options for healing…but unfortunately, that’s not entirely the case.
When a child is diagnosed with cancer, getting them better obviously becomes top priority. So for many families, 1 parent usually has to stop working to become a full time caregiver. It’s a lifestyle change that, even if both parents are able to keep working, can have a wide reaching impact on the family as a whole. Bills become harder to pay because there’s more money going out, there’s extra wear and tear on cars from going to all the different doctors appointments, leading to repairs, siblings have to give up the sports and activities they enjoy because parents can’t afford them or possibly can’t even take them…all while they’re worrying about their sibling who’s sick, and then there’s the medical bills that start piling up. Throughout Bryttan’s journey, Amanda saw what families were going through, what they themselves had to go through, and she knew she had to do something. The world of pediatric cancer will break your heart, make you mad, and leave you feeling frustrated. Amanda knew she had to do something positive with those big, all consuming emotions. She needed an outlet. Something that would bring some good, some hope and some light to families who need it. Bryttan’s Battalion…is that hope.
Bryttan’s Battalion was created in 2023 with the mission to help families financially navigate the twists and turns of pediatric cancer as well as raise funding for research that would provide kids with less toxic treatments. Treatments that won’t just hopefully cure them, but will also offer them quality of life both during treatment and after. Less toxic treatments aren’t just a nice option for families to have, they could literally be lifesaving. Especially when you consider that 30.9% of children who lose their fight with cancer don’t die from the cancer itself (many actually beat it). But rather, they die from the effects of traditional treatments and what it does to their bodies.
In the 3 years that Bryttan’s Battalion has been working to help families, they’ve provided support financially, medically and even emotionally. Through numerous fundraising efforts, Bryttan’s Battalion has raised thousands of dollars for research, paid families medical bills, car payments, car repairs, house payments, the list goes on. They've also worked with advocacy groups to provide families with alternative treatments to chemo. They even offer access to a functional doctor who offers personalized care, and works to restore patients digestive and hormonal health. What Bryttan’s Battalion does…is offer hope. Hope through options, hope through help, and hope through community.
On Saturday April,18th Bryttan’s Bittalion is joining forces with: Concert for a Cause. It’s a chance for Hamiltonian’s near and far to come out and support not only an amazing cause, but a life changing one…all while enjoying some incredible live music. The event will run from 1pm-10pm in downtown Hamilton along Riverfront Plaza. There’ll be food, drinks, vendors, games, split the pot, and more. Pour House, Municipal Brew and The Casual Pint also have VIP tables available for purchase. When you buy a VIP table you get a free drink at each establishment as well as a dinner buffet. And…it’s all family friendly. This year's 6th annual Concert for a Cause will feature music from Josh Lawson, Miss Jacque, Cody Garret, Alyssa Oeder and the Turn’d Up Band.
If you’ve been lucky enough to never have your world touched by cancer, especially pediatric cancer, consider yourself blessed. But don’t just stop there. Take that gratitude and if even for just an afternoon or evening, help a family who has found themselves in the middle of a world they never asked to be part of. And if you have had your world rocked by cancer, then you know just how important the work Bryttan’s Battalion is doing. So please come out and remind them that they’re not alone and that there is hope.
And check out Bryttan’s Bitallion on Facebook for updates on Concert for a Cause, as well as all other future events…like their golf outing coming up in June!