Brittany’s Brigade

by Stephanie Struyck Elgin

It was a Thursday…March 29, 2007 to be exact.  A day she will never forget.  
Brittany Magno was a sixth grader at Sulphur Springs Elementary School at the time.  Just like any other day, her mother came and picked her up after school.  But something seemed different that day.  “I could tell she had been crying,” states Brittany.  “We arrived home and my father was there, and I could tell he had been crying too.”
Brittany was told that the CAT SCAN that had been performed the day prior revealed something in her brain, something that shouldn’t have been there.
Brittany and her family immediately went to Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, where a surgeon examined her.  That evening, Brittany’s parents informed her that there was a growth in her brain that needed to be removed.
Just as they assured her that evening, Brittany’s parents never left her side and were there for her every step of the way.
Before being diagnosed, Brittany was unable to walk in a straight line without falling, had multiple episodes of gagging, but worst of all, suffered from extremely painful headaches. “Headaches were so severe they would leave me with tears, practically every day and night,” states Brittany.  “It was for these reasons that my mother took me to my doctor and ordered the CAT SCAN, which they immediately sent to the Children’s Hospital.” At age 11, Brittany was diagnosed with brain cancer, a pure-cell germinoma lodged into the fourth ventricle of her brain.
Brittany’s tumor was aggressive.  It had developed and grown the size of an eyeball in just a matter of weeks.  Within a few days, she went into surgery to remove a decent portion of the tumor that was lodged in her brain. “During my second surgery, they placed a port-catheter in my upper left chest area, for easier access while I received chemotherapy over a three week period. Radiation therapy, immediately followed at the completion of chemotherapy, to remove the rest of the pure-cell germinoma left behind.”
Physical therapy proved to be very challenging for Brittany.  “Because the tumor greatly affected my senses, I would collapse from just trying to get up from a normal sitting position. I could not easily go out the front door without being blinded by the sunlight. Our house had to be kept at a constant 68 degrees, 24 hours a day. Any noise louder than a casual conversation would pierce my ears,” states Brittany.
Despite the fact that Brittany missed two months of her sixth grade year, her good grades allowed her to graduate in the midst of her chemotherapy sessions.  Brittany attended Sierra Vista Junior High, and even though she had medical restrictions, she graduated with honors.  
Before entering Canyon High, where she is currently a sophomore, Brittany’s doctor felt confident to allow her to participate in physical activities without any restrictions.  Her first year, Brittany made the Canyon High School Freshman Cheerleading Squad.  Alongside her extra-curricular activities, she was also awarded an Academic Letter for achieving above a 3.70 grade point average her freshman year.
Currently, there is no sign of any existing tumor left in her brain. Now 15 and a sophomore, Brittany is a member of the Junior Varsity Cheer Squad and still maintaining that 3.70 grade point average. “All of this would not be possible, if not for my mother and father, family, friends, my doctors and surgeons, my church, this community, and most importantly, my Lord.”
Supporters of Brittany have formed “Brittany’s Brigade” for this year’s Relay For Life Santa Clarita.  Brittany will be a speaker at the American Cancer Society’s popular event that will take place on Saturday, May 21 at Central Park.  Thousands will participate in this overnight event that celebrates those who have battled cancer, remembers loved ones lost to the disease and helps raise funds to fight back.
For more information on the ACS’s Relay For Life SCV, visit www.scvrelay.org.

Relay for Life

The American Cancer Society Relay for Life is coming again to Santa Clarita.  The popular overnight event will be held on May 21 and 22 at Central Park in Saugus.  The Relay for Life celebrates those who have won their battle with cancer, to fight back for those who continue to battle and to remember those we have lost to cancer.  

Saturday, May 21, 2011
Opening Ceremony 9 a.m.
Survivors Lap 9:15 a.m.
Luminaria Ceremony 9 p.m.

Sunday, May 22, 2011
Fight Back / Closing
Ceremony 8:30 a.m.

Central Park
27150 Bouquet Canyon Road
Santa Clarita

Please visit the website at www.scvrelay.org for more information.