Brianna and her family have been a part of the Believe In Tomorrow Hospital Housing Program because of her cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment at the world renowned Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. During the past year, she has spent over 150 days at Believe In Tomorrow hospital housing. Initially, Brianna and her mom, Brandy, were at The Children’s House at Johns Hopkins, they later then moved to the House at St. Casimir.
As Brianna’s treatments became increasingly more aggressive due to her high-risk leukemia diagnosis, Brandy shared that it was difficult to keep Brianna’s spirits up. Fortunately, Brianna’s mood drastically improved when she spent time with therapy dogs during their weekly visits to The Children’s House.
Several times each week, volunteers bring certified therapy dogs to The Children’s House at Johns Hopkins. For Brianna, a self-proclaimed dog lover, these visits were often the highlight of her week. The time Brianna spent with the dogs gave her a momentary break from her difficult treatments and stressful hospital routines. Her medical team at the hospital recognized how important the therapy dogs were to Brianna and organized her schedule to allow as much time as possible with the dogs.
When Brianna received her bone marrow transplant, she and Brandy then moved to the Children’s House at St. Casimir. This special location is specifically designated to house families whose children have received a bone marrow transplant. While at St. Casimir, Brianna became “friends for life” with a fellow transplant recipient. The two children played together for hours each day, while their moms visited and bonded over the long medical journeys their children had been through.
