Brooklynn's Story of Strength
Updated: Sep 16
Brooklynn presented the following speech in November 2025 during our annual LOVE for Heroes Tennis Tournament
I am Brooklynn and I am a walking testimony of strength. I am proof that life hits you in ways you would never imagine or expect. One day I am thinking about school, my future dreams, hanging out with friends and next thing I know I am suddenly thinking about hospital rooms, scans, and what treatment comes next. I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 15, 6 days before I turned 16. I would’ve never suspected that cancer would become part of my story. But here I am -- still standing, still fighting, and most importantly still me.
My journey started on June 4th, 2024 when I had a very major surgery. First I had a chest tube put in on June 1st to get the fluid off my lungs, that was making it hard to breath. There were almost 4 liters taken off and we later found out it was cancerous. I had a complete hysterectomy and part of my colon removed which resulted in me getting an ostomy placed. I started treatment very shortly after that around June 24th. I started regular chemo infusions once a week for 18 weeks. I finished treatments in November and rang the "finished with chemo” bell. While that didn’t mean I was cancer free, it meant I was done with chemo for now. I had scans after I finished chemo and the chemo had worked and controlled the tumors but it did not get rid of them completely. I was put on an estrogen blocker to reduce my production of estrogen and hopefully stop the growth of the tumors. I had scans every 3 months so I had them again in February, only to find out it had spread to other places. It was now growing on the lining of my stomach and a little on my chest. I was then put on another chemo pill called Mekinist, I had every side effect that was written in the books. I had severe diarrhea, a terrible rash all over my body, and trouble breathing. I ended up being admitted to the hospital in July. We got told the cancer had spread even more, there were now little tumors in my breast and still growing on my chest. Safe to say that TERRIBLE medication was a big flop. I was taken off that medicine and once I got better I had a doctor's appointment to re-evaluate my symptoms. They tried to put me on a different medicine but my insurance wouldn’t approve it. A little while goes on my cancer markers continue to rise. I was then put on chemo shots which are exactly like the estrogen blocker pills I was on just in shot form now.
I go do the chemo shots every 4 weeks and I was recently put on chemo infusions again. I get 2 bags of chemo every 3 weeks. My blood counts have been good but I have to give myself a shot at home 24 hours after my chemo infusion to bring my white blood cells count up. I have scans again on Tuesday to see if this chemo is working. Crossing my fingers it is.
Heroes for Children has helped my family in many ways. I remember last year during the holiday season my mom got a phone call. I was in the car with my mom at the time and the call went over the car. It was Jenny from Heroes on the other side of the phone, calling to tell my mom they have blessed our family with help for the Christmas season. We were invited to the Christmas party they put on and were given a great amount of gifts for all the members of my family. Me and my mom sat in the car crying as this amazing gift was given to us. We had really been struggling with money at the time and this was the biggest blessing anyone could’ve given to us. We were also invited this year to re-attend the party. Heroes for Children had also gifted me with a laptop after I met with them while I was admitted in July of 2025. We met up for ice cream and they gifted it to me, a brand new laptop. I was beyond grateful for this because I have never been able to buy a laptop before so this was an amazing gift. Also at the time we did not know what my treatment plan was going to be like yet. Luckily I am still in school and able to be in person. I use that laptop everyday. I was also blessed with a custom made mum for the homecoming season this year. Mums cost a lot of money and are very time consuming. Morgan Hallman asked me if I would want her to make my mum. I was beyond excited, I of course said yes. It was a very gorgeous, big, fun mum. It was pink, my favorite color with cow print and bows everywhere, which are my favorite things in the world. Me and my family were beyond blessed with the gift from Morgan. Not only did it help with the amount of time it would’ve taken, it also helped financially big time. I am so beyond thankful for Heroes and the people in the organization. I can not thank them enough.
When people think about someone being strong, they don’t really put being scared sometimes, never crying, and never breaking down in the term strength. But I have learned that real strength is very different from that. Real strength is waking up on the days when everything hurts and still choosing to get up and try. It’s smiling when you want to stay silent. It’s letting people help you even when you wish you could do it all alone. And even sometimes, strength is saying. “I’m not okay,” and knowing that it’s allowed to not be okay. Cancer tries to take things from you. It tries to take away your energy, your plans, even your sense of normal. But it can’t touch everything. It most definitely can’t take your spirit, your laughter, or your dreams. And most importantly it can’t take the power you have to rise again and again, no matter how many times you get knocked down. I have learned that even in the hardest times in life there can still be a light. It could be something small like a joke from a friend, a warm blankie in a cold hospital room, a song that makes you feel alive, or even a smile from someone who believes in you. But those little things are what matter the most in times of darkness. They remind you that even in the darkness, hope is still there, stubborn but shining through.
To anyone else going through something like this, you don’t have to be a superhero. You just have to be you. Bravery isn’t the absence of fear -- it’s moving forward while carrying it. And with every step you take, no matter how slow or small it may be, it’s still a victory. I may be 17 now, but I am strong. Not because I never get tired because believe me, I sure do, but because I’m learning that strength is choosing to fight for my future, my happiness, and my life. This journey is definitely hard. It’s unfair. It’s exhausting. Regardless of those things, it is also teaching me just how powerful the human heart can be. And I promise you this: I will keep going. I will keep hoping. And I will keep shining - because cancer may be part of my story but it will never be the whole story. As I say this by no means is this journey easy, but it will get easier I just know it. This journey has inspired me to write books about it.
I am in the teaching program at my school and for the competition we have, I decided to do children’s literature. I wrote a book about this little girl who has cancer and how it affected her classmates and her learning abilities. I hope to publish the book on amazon soon and hopefully make it into a series. I have also made an instagram account to share my story to the world to hopefully inspire and help other young women going through something similar. Sharing my story has made this journey easier for me because in some sense I am helping others.
Just remember, if you’re on a journey like mine, I hope you remember this: You are brave. You are loved, You are stronger than you know. And your story is still being written - Beautifully, courageously, and powerfully - one day, one step at a time.
Written by Brooklynn in November, 2025
September 17 is North Texas Giving Day. Your support can help Heroes for Children be there for more families like Brooklynn’s. Every gift through this campaign will be matched up to $10,000, doubling the impact of your generosity.
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