Biking For Bri!

Please join us for an upcoming biking fundraiser to be held in New York on February 12th, 2011. This event is being organized by Bri's friend Laura.  For all of the details and to join the "Bikers 4 Bri"  team please use the link below!

http://www.facebook.com/l/a9c5b2oN6u8n4cRxoDCP1jIFePg;mskcc.convio.net/goto/bikers4bri

Bake Sale!

Thank you to everyone who donated, ran or purchased anything from our bake sale today! Your involvement in making this event a great success is greatly appreciated!

Wow! What a successful bake sale! The two day total was $1,400.00! This money is being donated directly to fund  Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor  research.

Once again, Thank You to each and everyone involved in this great cause. Please check back for more details on Biking for Bri taking place in February and the Dance & Raffle happening April 30th!

Posting Comments

Anyone can post a comment on the blog, and Brianna would love to hear from you! All you need is a gmail account. To post a comment click the post comment link and log into your gmail account. If you don't have a gmail account you can create one by going to www.gmail.com and click create new account. If anyone needs more specific help posting comments please feel free to email briannafightssarcoma@gmail.com

An Additional Way to Donate

Donations can be made directly to the American Cancer Society! Please be sure to write  " Code: COTRESERCH/MPNST Research" in the memo line so that your contribution will be used to fund this specific type of cancer and mail checks to:

Hilary Casillas
Vice President, Income Development
American Cancer Society
55 Day Lane
Williston, VT 05495

If you send a check directly please let us know so we can keep a total of money raised!
Thank You!

Benefit Dance and Raffle Update

The date for the dance and raffle to benefit Brianna's Cause has been set. Please join us on Saturday April 30th from 7-10pm at the American Legion for great music played by The Flames and awesome raffles. We will start selling tickets in January for $10.00 per person.

The Flames have generously donated their time to this worth cause. In an email correspondance with band memeber John, he described the group.

The Flames is an oldies rock'n'roll band, playing the likes of Chuck
Berry, Elvis,  Motown, Beatles, and a vast collection of 1-hit
wonders and other gems from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. We are John
Lovejoy (keyboard/bass/vocals), Cam Cross (guitar/vocals), Eric von
Ammon (drums/vocals), and Terrey Langford (sax/clarinet).
We also have been known to exercise our swing chops from the Duke/
Ella era!

It will be an eclectic, fun, and purposeful evening!

Thanks again for having us-

John

Mark your calendars for what promises to be a great night!

Comments

Hi and Thank You to all who are following Brianna's journey through this page. I want to welcome you to leave comments often as Brianna will see them and any thoughts or words of encouragement her way are appreciated!

Benefit Dance Update

See updated information here!

The dance to benefit Brianna's cause as been postponed to a date in May, specifics TBD. Brianna wanted to delay for a while so that she would be well enough to attend. Please check back for more information soon.

Brianna’s Biography

Hi, my name is Brianna Bailey. I am 27 years old and was diagnosed with a rare cancer in February 2010.  It is a type of soft tissue sarcoma called Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor (MPNST). The tumor was growing between my tibia and fibula and was found while snowshoeing in the White Mountains. On February 17^th 2010 I received a Below the Knee Amputation (BKA) because a limb sparing procedure was not advised by the tumor board as Mass General Hospital in Boston, MA. As with any disease diagnosis, I was shocked and frightened by the tragic news. Moreover, this type of cancer is extremely rare, and currently has limited research available.  My goal is to increase awareness of this devastating disease.

I was born and raised in Hanover, New Hampshire. I attended the University of Montana and earned my BA in Psychology and Communication in 2006. It was in Montana that I truly developed a love for the great outdoors. I spent the majority of my free time running, hiking, skiing, and snowshoeing. After graduation, I decided to spend a year working for an organization called Nature’s Classroom where my work involved taking kids on outdoor adventures in the Adirondack Mountains at the base of Lake George, NY. I was responsible for taking students on hikes and teaching environmental sustainability lessons and simulations. It was there I knew I wanted to be a teacher!  I attended the University of Vermont and obtained my Master’s of Arts in Teaching in 2008. My two areas of concentration were Language Arts and Science.

Post graduate school, I was hired as a full time science teacher at Newfound Memorial Middle School in Bristol, NH.  For two years I enjoyed teaching approximately 130 eighth-graders Earth science.  I have learned so much about myself personally and professionally and feel fortunate to have worked with young adolescents. I feel the ages that span 10-15 are truly magical years where an abundant amount of learning can truly take place. I’m so happy to be part of their development.

Recently I have been working as a full time 6^th-8^th Language Arts teacher at Waits River Valley School in central, VT. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to teach approximately 80 middle school students the joy of reading and writing. However, this privilege was cut short when I discovered a recurrence of my cancer. I found a lump in my right, upper thigh in October 2010 and biopsies proved it had metastasized. Upon further testing a CT scan revealed it had progressed to my right lung. I was horrified by the progression of the cancer and even more distraught after the doctors told me my best chance of survival was to begin immediate, intense rounds of chemotherapy and radiation to try and eradicate this aggressive cancer.

Currently I am residing at my parent’s house and feel fortunate for the support. My family, friends and co-workers have made my life more manageable in the face of this challenging medical crisis. I would like to thank them and thank you for taking an interest in helping me increase awareness of MSNPT.

                                                                                    Sincerely,

                                                                                    Brianna M. Bailey

“The Greatest Wealth is Health”