Briony was a vibrant, red-headed 16-year-old, who loved practical jokes and pushing people’s buttons. In July 2006, just after moving to Calgary, she started showing signs that something wasn’t right. She was dizzy all the time and was having mood swings, which wasn’t like her. An emergency MRI would forever change her life.
She was diagnosed with a rare brain cancer, Anaplastic Astrocytoma. The tumour was inoperable, so Briony underwent 42 days of radiation with chemotherapy in the hopes of shrinking it.
Eventually, Briony became allergic to the anti-nausea drug and her organs started deteriorating from the chemo. When her body could no longer tolerate the treatment, she went off all treatment.
That summer in 2008, Briony and her family enjoyed some much-needed normalcy. They took a Wish Trip to Australia, a place she’d always wanted to visit, and she later flew out to Penticton, to spend time with her friends.
On November 17, 2008, Briony was given the news that the tumour was in its final, aggressive stage and that she would not have much time left to live. We gathered her friends and family while she was still able to enjoy their company and had a final house party.
On February 14, 2009, Briony passed away quietly at home with her family and puppy with her. We miss her with all our hearts. She is the wind at her mother Lynn’s back as she rides in the Cycle Challenge – Ride of Courage annually in Briony’s honor.
Though we spent many weeks at a time in the hospital, she never lost her sense of humour, often playing jokes on the nurses and doctors. She would help the little kids on the unit, as she felt they were given a raw deal. She dressed up for Halloween and went door to door to their hospital rooms in reverse Halloween, so the little ones who were too sick could have treats too.
Briony’s Mom Lynn
