https://p2p.thecurestartsnow.org/3291?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR4eMI5-GI7zf9WccJaMMnwEAlAKydxcS-k-fvcIbGOPOeOkPaKrhJbQc

Brave Like Brynlee, Manchester, MI (2026)

09/03/2026

Brynlee had PT today, and I swear there are moments with her that hit me so much harder than I ever expect them to.

She is doing so incredibly well and getting stronger every single day. Today she even rode a bike all by herself, and standing there watching her pedal on her own just about did me in. To somebody else, it might just look like a little girl riding a bike, but I know how hard her body has had to work to get here. I know the things that used to come naturally that suddenly became difficult. I know how many times she has had to keep trying even when she was tired, frustrated, embarrassed, or just wanted her body to do what she was asking it to do.

So when I watch her do something like that now, I don’t just see a bike ride. I see how far my girl has come.

She keeps surprising me. She keeps pushing herself. She keeps getting stronger, more confident, and more independent, and I am so unbelievably proud of her. There is something about watching your child fight so hard for pieces of a childhood they should have always been able to have that changes the way you see these little moments forever.

And now my baby is getting ready to turn SIX on September 26th. She is already so excited about her birthday and talks about it all the time, and I just keep looking at her wondering how in the world we are already here.

Almost six years old. Riding a bike ( with training wheels) by herself. Getting stronger every day.

There were times I was terrified of everything cancer might take from her, and now I get to stand back and watch her keep taking things back for herself.

My mommy heart is just so full today. I am so, so proud of you, Brynlee. 🩷

09/03/2026

Childhood Cancer Awareness: Day 3 💛

When Brynlee was diagnosed, I wasn’t thinking about what her life might look like at 15, 25, or 35. I wasn’t thinking about puberty, fertility, hormones, or all the things her little body would still have to go through as she grew up. I was thinking about one thing and one thing only. Keeping my daughter alive.

That’s the part of childhood cancer treatment people don’t always understand. Chemotherapy and radiation can save a child’s life, but those treatments can also leave behind damage that follows them long after treatment is over. Radiation doesn’t just touch the tumor and disappear. When you are treating a child whose brain and body are still developing, it can affect growth, hormones, learning, memory, thyroid function, development, puberty, and so much more. Some of those effects can show up right away, while others may not show themselves until years later.

Chemotherapy can leave its own lasting effects too. It can affect hearing, nerves, the heart, fertility, and even increase the risk of other cancers later in life. That is such a hard thing to wrap your head around because these are children. Their bodies are still growing. Their futures are still being written, and sometimes the very medicine used to save them can change parts of that future forever.

One of the hardest things for me personally was realizing what treatment could mean for Brynlee’s reproductive future. She was nowhere near puberty when she was diagnosed. She was still just a little girl, so there was no simple option to freeze eggs or preserve that part of her future the way an adult woman might be able to before treatment. I had to understand that while we were fighting to save her life, there was also a chance that the treatment could affect whether she would ever be able to have children of her own someday.

That is such a heavy thing to carry as a mother. Your child is fighting brain cancer and somehow you are also being forced to think about pieces of her adulthood that she is far too young to even understand yet. Of course I chose treatment. I would choose Brynlee’s life every single time. There was never a question about that. But there can still be grief mixed in with the gratitude, because saving your child should not have to come with wondering what parts of their future might be taken from them in the process.

People look at Brynlee now and they see kindergarten, smiles, playing, laughing, growing, and getting stronger. I see every bit of that too, and I am thankful for it in ways I could never fully explain. But I also know that childhood cancer does not always end when treatment ends. Sometimes the fight simply changes. It becomes therapy appointments, watching her growth and development, monitoring hormones, worrying about late effects, and wondering what may show up years from now because of everything her little body had to endure just to survive.

These children deserve more than treatments that simply keep them alive. They deserve treatments that protect the lives they still have left to live.

So for Childhood Cancer Awareness Day 3, tell me what you think..

FACT OR MYTH: Once chemotherapy and radiation are over, the damage from childhood cancer treatment is over too? 💛

09/02/2026

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month: Day 2 💛

Today is about Medulloblastoma, the cancer that changed everything for us.

When Brynlee was diagnosed, I learned very quickly that even the word “Medulloblastoma” does not tell the whole story. There are different groups, different risks, different outcomes, and different battles hidden underneath the same diagnosis. Brynlee is Group 3, the group known for being the most aggressive and carrying some of the hardest odds.

I will never forget what it felt like learning that.

Hearing that your child has brain cancer is already enough to make the entire world stop. Then you start hearing words like aggressive, high risk, prognosis, survival rates, and suddenly you are being asked to understand numbers that are supposed to somehow explain what might happen to your child.

But Brynlee has taught me something I will carry with me forever.

A prognosis is not a promise.

It can tell you what has happened before. It can tell doctors what they know. It can help guide treatment. But it does not know Brynlee. It does not know her stubbornness, her strength, her laugh, her fight, or the way she has continued to get back up every single time cancer tried to take something from her.

She was handed one of the harder versions of an already devastating diagnosis, and somehow she has continued to prove that cancer picked the wrong little girl to underestimate.

That is what awareness means to me. Not just wearing gold. Not just knowing that childhood cancer exists. It is understanding that even within one diagnosis, some children are facing an even steeper climb. It is understanding why research matters so much, why better treatments matter, and why these kids deserve more than frightening statistics and limited options.

Brynlee has faced things no child ever should, and somehow she still finds a way to be Brynlee through all of it. That is the part I wish everyone could truly understand.

FACT OR MYTH:

Medulloblastoma is one single type of brain cancer, so every child diagnosed with it has the same prognosis and is treated exactly the same way.

👇 Fact or Myth?

09/01/2026

Childhood cancer awareness month

September 1st marks the beginning of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and I don’t think this month will ever feel simple to me again. Before Brynlee got sick, I knew childhood cancer existed, but I didn’t understand it. I didn’t know the fear that comes with waiting on scans, the helplessness of watching your child go through treatment, or how much of their childhood can get swallowed up by hospital rooms, appointments, medications, therapies, and trying to survive something they never should have had to face in the first place. Now, when I see gold, I don’t just see an awareness color. I see Brynlee. I see every child still fighting, every child trying to find their way back to being a kid, every sibling whose life changed too, and every family who would give anything to never have learned this world so personally.

There is still so much people don’t know about childhood cancer, and I was one of those people once too, so I want to start this month with something that honestly surprises a lot of people.

FACT OR MYTH: Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children, yet pediatric cancer research still receives only a small portion of federal cancer research funding.

What do you think? Fact or myth?

Leave your answer below. I’ll share the truth behind it next. 💛🎗️

08/31/2026

First Day of Kindergarten for Brynlee. 🩷

My girl was so ready for school this morning that she was rushing everybody else to get inside. 😂 There was no hanging back at the door. She was ready to see her classroom, her teacher, her friends, and start this brand new little chapter of her life.

And I don’t think I will ever be able to explain what it feels like to watch her do something so normal and have it mean so much.

To everyone else, it is the first day of kindergarten. New shoes, a backpack, a classroom full of tiny chairs, and a whole year ahead.

To me, it is another moment I once felt too afraid to picture.

So today I watched her walk into school with that excitement in her little heart, and I just felt grateful. Grateful that she gets to be there. Grateful that she gets to worry about kindergarten things. Grateful that she gets another first day, another classroom, another teacher to love her, another year to grow.

But there is a heaviness that comes with days like this too.

Because somewhere, there are classrooms with empty seats this year. There are children who should be walking through school doors today. There are parents who should be taking first day pictures, packing lunches, fixing backpacks, and wondering how their baby got big enough for another school year.

And my heart carries them too.

That is one of the hardest parts of this life. Learning how to hold so much gratitude for what you have while knowing exactly why you can never take it for granted.

So today, I am celebrating my kindergartener with my whole heart.

Go learn. Go play. Go make friends. Go laugh too loud. Go be little.

You have fought so hard for the ordinary days, baby girl.

And I hope you get a lifetime full of them. 🩷

08/30/2026

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and this year I’m asking for something simple:

Help me make people notice.

Share this flyer. Send it to a business owner. Tag a school. Tag a sports team. Send it to your boss, your PTO, your church, your favorite local restaurant, your coworkers, your friends. If there is somewhere in this community that could go gold, I want them to see this.

You do not have to have a personal connection to childhood cancer to care about it.

You do not have to know exactly what to do.

You just have to be willing to do something.

If you want to participate and need ideas, please reach out to me. I would love to help however I can. I would love to see businesses decorating, teams wearing gold, schools getting involved, people sharing pictures, and our community showing these kids that they are worth showing up for.

The poster has everything you need, including a way to support childhood brain cancer research in Brynlee’s honor.

So please, don’t just scroll past this one.

Share it.

Tag someone.

Start the conversation.

Let’s see how much gold we can get across this community in September. 💛🎗️

08/29/2026

It’s the last weekend of summer, and I think we’re all trying to soak up every little bit of it before Monday comes. 🩷

Brynlee had such a good day today. She was out and about, enjoying herself, doing normal little kid things, and those are still the moments that get me. Watching her just live her life. Watching her laugh, explore, get tired from a busy day, and simply be a five year old without everything else taking center stage.

And now somehow we are here. School starts Monday.

I’ve thought about this day for so long. There was a time when life felt like it was measured in appointments, treatments, numbers, scans, and getting through one day at a time. Now I’m looking at my girl getting ready for kindergarten, picking out school things, talking about her classroom, and preparing to walk through those doors with everyone else.

She’s excited. She’s nervous. And if I’m being truthful, I think I’m a little bit of both too.

So this weekend, I’m not rushing anything. I’m soaking up the late summer evenings, the little adventures, the extra time together, and every ordinary moment I can get. Because this summer has given me another chance to watch my girl grow, gain confidence, and find more of herself again.

Monday starts a whole new chapter for Brynlee.

But for tonight, she’s just my girl enjoying the last weekend of summer, and I’m holding onto that for a little while longer. 🩷

08/28/2026

Today was one of those days that reminded me just how much love can continue to live on through the people who carry it. 💛

The kids received the most incredible gifts in the mail today from Love, Team Tessa, and I’m still sitting here thinking about the amount of thought and heart that went into every single thing. Tessa’s family has found such a beautiful way to keep her memory alive by pouring love into other children and families, and today, my kids got to feel a little piece of that love.

The boys were so excited, and Brynlee was absolutely spoiled in the sweetest way. They even made sure she gets to have her very own shopping spree so she can go be the girly little thing she is and pick out whatever makes her heart happy. 🥹💕 That alone had me emotional because it wasn’t just about sending gifts. It was about making each of my kids feel seen, special, and loved.

There is something so incredibly meaningful about the way Tessa’s family continues to say her name through kindness. Through every child they make smile. Through every family they touch. Through every little moment of joy they create in her honor.

I hope they know just how much today meant to us. Watching my babies light up, hearing their excitement, and knowing the love behind it all made this so much bigger than a package arriving at our door.

Thank you, Love Team Tessa ( Karin ) , for loving my babies so big and for allowing Tessa’s beautiful memory to continue reaching families like ours. We will carry a little piece of her with us now, too. 🩷

08/25/2026

Tonight was Brynlee’s open house, and I don’t think I realized how emotional it was going to make me until I was standing there watching her walk through those doors again.

She got to meet her new teacher, see her classroom, find where all of her things will go, and just slowly get that feeling of school back. She did so good. She looked around, took everything in, and for a while I could tell she was excited. It felt like one of those moments I’ve been waiting for, just seeing her back in a school building, getting ready for something so normal.

Then toward the end, she started getting emotional. The nerves finally hit her, and she told me she was scared about going back. That part got me because I know how badly she wants this. She wants her friends. She wants her classroom. She wants to learn and play and be silly and come home with stories about her day. She wants to just be a kid again, and I wish more than anything that something as simple as starting school didn’t have to come with so many big feelings for her.

I am beyond thankful for her school and every person there who has shown my girl so much love and patience. They have done so much for her, and they continue to make sure she feels safe, supported, included, and understood. As her mom, that means everything to me. I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to have around her while she figures out this next chapter.

I’m just so proud of her. Proud of how far she has come, proud of how brave she is even when she doesn’t feel brave, and proud of the way she keeps showing up and trying.

Watching her stand in that classroom tonight, nervous and excited all at once, just hit me.

She has fought so hard to get back to moments like this.

And now my baby is getting ready to start kindergarten. 🩷

08/24/2026

There are moments with Brynlee that make me stop and realize just how much strength can live inside one little girl.

She started PT again today, and I was so proud watching her walk in there and just do it. She listened, she tried everything they asked of her, and she even made her way through the obstacle course they had set up. Seeing how much she has grown, not just physically but in the confidence she has in herself, is something I don’t think I’ll ever be able to put into words completely.

She had a few little falls while she was there, and that is still one of the hardest parts for me to watch. It embarrasses her. I can see it on her face the second it happens. She gets frustrated with herself because more than anything, she just wants to move like every other kid. She wants to run, climb, play, and do all the things without having to think about every step or worry about losing her balance.

And that is the part that breaks my heart.

Because I know how hard she is trying. I know how badly she wants her body to do the things her mind is telling it to do. I know there are moments when she wishes it all came easier.

But then I watch what she does next.

She will turn around for a second, take a few deep breaths, compose herself, and then go right back to what she was doing. She doesn’t let the fall be the end of it. She doesn’t let the embarrassment keep her from trying again. She gives herself a second, gathers herself, and keeps going.

That is Brynlee.

She has had to learn resilience in ways no child ever should, but somehow she continues to show me what real strength looks like. It isn’t never falling. It is being allowed to feel frustrated, embarrassed, or upset and still finding the courage to turn back around and try again.

I wish I could take every hard thing away from her. I wish she never had to work this hard just to do things other kids don’t even have to think about. That part of this life will never get easier for me.

But my goodness, the strength in my baby.

She is growing. She is trying. She is trusting herself more and more. And every single time she gets back up, I swear I become even more proud of her.

My sweet girl will always be my little superhero. 🩷

Brave Like Brynlee

09/03/2026

09/03/2026

09/02/2026

09/01/2026

08/31/2026

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