Brizanna who goes by Bri, is a spontaneous 13-year-old braving Leukemia. She loves to ride her skateboard and play soccer. Bri enjoys art and meeting new people.
In the proud words of her father, Chad; “Bri is a very outgoing and a kindhearted girl. She would like to be an artist, and she is quite talented with her drawings.” Bri has interest in space and has also talked about joining NASA.
On treatment days, Bri and her family make a 4-hour round trip to either Norton’s Children’s Hospital or to Novak Center for Children’s Health, both in Louisville, KY. The children’s hospital is 120 miles from her home in rural Kentucky, which is the closet medical center offering pediatric cancer treatment. Other times, they travel two hours away to Louisville when her blood counts are low and she needs a blood transfusion. The local hospitals are not able to provide blood transfusions for her because of her cancer diagnosis. On days the family travels to the hospital, Chad shares that “they are usually early morning appointments, so we make sure to get a good night’s sleep and have everything packed and loaded in the car so all we have to do is get up and go.”
Both Bri and her father focus on keeping up positive energy as they navigate this cancer journey together. Brizanna has 4 siblings; they are a family of seven. Dad feels the financial strain of having to travel once or twice a week for his daughter’s cancer treatment while pushing through the long drives, especially when the weather conditions are bad. Dad shares the encouraging words to fellow dads caring for a child with cancer by telling others that “It’s a tough journey but you can do it! There are so many great organizations out there like Compass to Care who can do so many things to help”.
The increased cost of gas and flights had an impact on the number of children Compass to Care could serve in 2022. After serving over 249 families, Compass to Care made a tough decision to put a hold on assisting families. Bri’s family was put on our waitlist. Because of you, our generous donors, we have extended assistance to all of the children who were waiting for help, making their cancer journeys just a little bit easier during a tremendously difficult time. We welcome Bri and her family to our Compass to Care family.