Brittnay's Battle
Donation protected
This fundraising page has been set up by a close friend of Brittnay’s, who has recognised Brittnay’s fierce independence throughout a tough battle, and is determined to help her in any way possible.
Brittnay, with a love of travel and living life to the fullest, uprooted herself in September 2018 to London, England from Canada.
She came to London without ever having stepped foot in the UK before and not knowing a soul here (no friends or family on this side of the world) but happily took on the challenge of making a new life for herself abroad.
Within a month of arriving in London, Brittnay began to notice something was “off”. It was her first symptom revealing itself, but not knowing anything about cancer, as well as not having a UK doctor, she brushed it off.
Finally, she sought help after obtaining a GP. She was told at first that her tests came back clear for any disease and was sent home. She advocated for herself for weeks, insisting something was wrong, and she was finally sent for more in-depth testing once she began losing masses of blood. That’s when everything became serious.
January 2019, a mere 4 months after arriving in London she got the news that changed her life. Brittnay was diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer.
Brittnay then endured her toughest battle of life to date. She went through fertility treatment to save her eggs, which failed. This left her with severe depression due to infertility. After all, she adores children evidently so as she moved to London as an Au Pair, and worked in Canada in the school system with youth who faced learning difficulties.
After the failed fertility treatment Brittnay underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy as well as 28 rounds of external radiation before undergoing internal radiation. She underwent this gruelling treatment with no friends or family by her side; alone in London 5000km from loved ones.
The first 6 months of 2019 was consumed with cancer. After finishing treatment in May 2019, Brittnay propelled herself into the swing of life and bettering herself. Running charity races, finally making friends in London, scoping out new potential jobs, etc. Brittnay thought she was in the clear.
Until a few months later in October 2019, she got the news that the cancer came back and is more aggressive. The first round of treatment failed to be the cure. Brittnay is now about to face another uphill battle. Her only option for a better chance at life is a Immunotherapy trial but first she must endure approximately 6 months worth of chemo — which even then may not qualify her for the trial. Palliative chemo would be her only other option according to her oncologist. The options are slim and the chance of being cured is unclear.
Brittnay moved to London for a better life only to have life flipped completely upside down. She now needs help more than ever and she can’t tackle cancer again on her own.
The money from this fundraising will go towards flying her back to Canada for a second opinion/better health care. It will also go towards the travel costs of commuting back and fourth between Toronto (where the cancer centre is) to her hometown — the commute is 2.5 hours each way and will be done frequently for appointments and treatment. Brittnay also needs new clothing due to losing weight, continuously so and nothing fitting properly. This money will also help her buy essential items like blenders, food and vitamins to keep her weight and immune system in check. In addition, when she moved to England, Brittnay sold or gave away most of her possessions, so the fundraising will help her buy the things she needs for the best quality of life while at getting care (a bed, medical products, toiletries, items to help her get back into her hobbies and stay active during treatment, etc)
Most importantly, the money will go towards medical expenses since Brittnay doesn’t have coverage in Canada due to moving abroad the previous year. Aftercare and medicine post- treatment won’t be covered as well. Brittnay is thankful for going through chemo during the first round of treatment and keeping her hair, as this time she won't be so lucky. Losing your hair is devastating and can put a toll on cancer patients mental health and confidence, therefore some of the money will also go on wigs to keep Brittany's spirits up.
Brittnay is an incredible person who has devoted her life to serving people within her community. She worked four jobs at a time in the healthcare field while living in Canada. Her joy of life, her passion for helping others, her generosity, her optimism and outgoing personality, and her high hopes for the future still remain in place. She’s proving to be strong in such a dark time, and continues to put others first. Now she needs everyone's help! Brittnay would be so grateful to anyone who would like to support her in reaching the fundraising target, to help provide the best quality of life while battling cancer for the second time around, even with no guarantee that there will be a cure, she’s ready to battle this head on with a brave face. Any little bit counts towards helping this vibrant young lady stay smiling throughout a tough few years ahead.
Thank you!
Brittnay, with a love of travel and living life to the fullest, uprooted herself in September 2018 to London, England from Canada.
She came to London without ever having stepped foot in the UK before and not knowing a soul here (no friends or family on this side of the world) but happily took on the challenge of making a new life for herself abroad.
Within a month of arriving in London, Brittnay began to notice something was “off”. It was her first symptom revealing itself, but not knowing anything about cancer, as well as not having a UK doctor, she brushed it off.
Finally, she sought help after obtaining a GP. She was told at first that her tests came back clear for any disease and was sent home. She advocated for herself for weeks, insisting something was wrong, and she was finally sent for more in-depth testing once she began losing masses of blood. That’s when everything became serious.
January 2019, a mere 4 months after arriving in London she got the news that changed her life. Brittnay was diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer.
Brittnay then endured her toughest battle of life to date. She went through fertility treatment to save her eggs, which failed. This left her with severe depression due to infertility. After all, she adores children evidently so as she moved to London as an Au Pair, and worked in Canada in the school system with youth who faced learning difficulties.
After the failed fertility treatment Brittnay underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy as well as 28 rounds of external radiation before undergoing internal radiation. She underwent this gruelling treatment with no friends or family by her side; alone in London 5000km from loved ones.
The first 6 months of 2019 was consumed with cancer. After finishing treatment in May 2019, Brittnay propelled herself into the swing of life and bettering herself. Running charity races, finally making friends in London, scoping out new potential jobs, etc. Brittnay thought she was in the clear.
Until a few months later in October 2019, she got the news that the cancer came back and is more aggressive. The first round of treatment failed to be the cure. Brittnay is now about to face another uphill battle. Her only option for a better chance at life is a Immunotherapy trial but first she must endure approximately 6 months worth of chemo — which even then may not qualify her for the trial. Palliative chemo would be her only other option according to her oncologist. The options are slim and the chance of being cured is unclear.
Brittnay moved to London for a better life only to have life flipped completely upside down. She now needs help more than ever and she can’t tackle cancer again on her own.
The money from this fundraising will go towards flying her back to Canada for a second opinion/better health care. It will also go towards the travel costs of commuting back and fourth between Toronto (where the cancer centre is) to her hometown — the commute is 2.5 hours each way and will be done frequently for appointments and treatment. Brittnay also needs new clothing due to losing weight, continuously so and nothing fitting properly. This money will also help her buy essential items like blenders, food and vitamins to keep her weight and immune system in check. In addition, when she moved to England, Brittnay sold or gave away most of her possessions, so the fundraising will help her buy the things she needs for the best quality of life while at getting care (a bed, medical products, toiletries, items to help her get back into her hobbies and stay active during treatment, etc)
Most importantly, the money will go towards medical expenses since Brittnay doesn’t have coverage in Canada due to moving abroad the previous year. Aftercare and medicine post- treatment won’t be covered as well. Brittnay is thankful for going through chemo during the first round of treatment and keeping her hair, as this time she won't be so lucky. Losing your hair is devastating and can put a toll on cancer patients mental health and confidence, therefore some of the money will also go on wigs to keep Brittany's spirits up.
Brittnay is an incredible person who has devoted her life to serving people within her community. She worked four jobs at a time in the healthcare field while living in Canada. Her joy of life, her passion for helping others, her generosity, her optimism and outgoing personality, and her high hopes for the future still remain in place. She’s proving to be strong in such a dark time, and continues to put others first. Now she needs everyone's help! Brittnay would be so grateful to anyone who would like to support her in reaching the fundraising target, to help provide the best quality of life while battling cancer for the second time around, even with no guarantee that there will be a cure, she’s ready to battle this head on with a brave face. Any little bit counts towards helping this vibrant young lady stay smiling throughout a tough few years ahead.
Thank you!
Organizer
Leah Heggarty
Organizer
England
