Brynn  is 10 years old and a typical tween who loves basketball, horseback riding, dance, and Girl Scouts. A dedicated Swiftie, Brynn saw Taylor Swift in concert last summer, making a magical memory with her mom. 

But her family didn’t always know if they’d have these moments. 

Brynn was 2 years old when she was diagnosed with a grapefruit-sized brain tumor called ependymoma. 

Most cancer parents have horror stories about diagnoses, and Brynn’s family is no different, said her mom Jessica. Brynn’s original diagnosis in 2017 was a series of misdiagnoses. For six weeks she was treated for a recurring stomach bug (that had no other symptoms besides vomiting in the morning and being fine for rest of day), dehydration (to account for the gait and dizziness), and constipation. The week leading up to diagnosis Brynn was at her pediatrician daily because she was so off with periods of lucidity mixed with really scary catatonic states. Brynn’s parents were encouraged to make a neurology appointment and to avoid the emergency room because of such an awful flu season and to call back Monday if she didn’t improve.

But, her parents left that appointment and drove her directly to the children’s hospital emergency room because they could not bear to go the entire weekend. At the ER, she was rushed to a CT scan and the news of her diagnosis was swift. Brynn didn’t just have a brain tumor, but she was critically ill. Doctors told her family that Brynn would have died overnight without emergency care. Brynn was rushed to PICU and then had surgery. After surgery Brynn completed proton radiation. Clean scans followed. It seemed treatment worked. 

Fast forward 18 months and Brynn had another clean MRI in September 2018. A couple weeks after that she went back to napping daily after her half-day pre-K schooling. The family had a long-awaited getaway planned to Sesame Place, but the week leading up to the trip, Brynn starting acting strange again. In her dance class, her mom noticed she seemed to be lagging behind her classmates and she missed her own hands when she went to clap. Jessica remembers feeling crazy because no one else was noticing these little things. 

At Sesame Place, Brynn wanted to be in her stroller or to be carried, which wasn’t like her. At the hotel breakfast buffet, Brynn just threw up everywhere. Jessica called Brynn’s oncology team and they were reassuring about her very recent scan. But Jessica just knew in her heart that something was not right. She took Brynn to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where her relapse was confirmed. 

Brynn had surgery again. At relapse, options were limited. But her parents were determined. Brynn qualified for a trial in Augusta, Georgia, led by Dr. Ted Johnson, an Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation-funded researcher. The family utilized Travel For Care to reach the immunotherapy treatment, which worked. 

Today, Brynn is cancer-free. “She’s just blossomed,” said Jessica, Brynn’s mom. 

Information provided by Jessica T., Brynn's mom
Updated: December 2024