Giving Legacy

by Charlotte Kovalchuk

The Brooklynn Miller Foundation Spreads Joy to Young Cancer Warriors

Until June last year, Brooklynn Miller was a normal 12-year-old looking forward to spending the summer with friends and running track when school started again. When she began complaining about knee pain, her mom, Erika Spies, told her to rest it for a couple days but wasn’t that concerned since Brooklynn could still run around and jump on their trampoline at their home in Jarrell. A few days later, she woke up with small fingerprint bruises all over one of her arms. Erika took her to several doctors but none of them were concerned by the lab results. “I had five doctors that said, ‘It doesn’t look like cancer. We’re pretty sure it’s not cancer.’ ”

The two were told it was just low blood platelets and sent home. Not long after that, Brooklynn’s back started hurting to the point that she couldn’t sleep because she was in so much pain. A follow-up appointment with x-rays still didn’t provide answers at first. “The doctor said he didn’t expect to see anything, and he didn’t notice anything. So he sent us home,” Erika says.

On their way home, she got a call from the doctor. She and Brooklynn were listening on speakerphone as he said, “It’s cancer. You need to come back.”

Spreading Love

Brooklynn’s love language had always been gifts, Erika says, so she wasn’t surprised to see her daughter make paintings for the nurses at the hospital and gift bags for volunteers during her Make A Wish trip at Disney World. “She knew they were giving up their time to help and be there for kids like her. More than she wanted to go to Disney World, she wanted to put together gifts for all the volunteers.” While her grandpa pushed her wheelchair around the Give Kids the World Village they stayed at during their trip, Brooklynn stopped every volunteer she saw and gave out about 50 handmade gift bags.

She also loved getting gifts, especially during her cancer fight when friends and community members who had heard her story would give her care packages with her favorite things, including Stitch stuffed animals, blankets, and toys, painting supplies, and homemade gifts like quilts and crocheted animals. “Even on the worst days, getting a gift you could tell was handpicked for her would make her smile. Maybe it was just a minute or two or five, but it would take away all the hurt and pain for a few minutes.”

Before Brooklynn passed away in October, she made her mom promise to try to increase government funding for childhood cancer research (currently at 4 percent), spread awareness about osteosarcoma, and start a foundation in her name that would uplift other young cancer warriors with personalized gift bags.

After two weeks of biopsies, MRIs, and bone scans, Brooklynn was diagnosed with stage 4 osteosarcoma –a rare bone cancer that typically affects children, teens, and young adults. With tumors in almost every bone in her body as well as her lungs, their only hope was buying her more time through what ended up being an unsuccessful chemotherapy attempt.

Empowering Families

In March, Erika started the Brooklynn Miller Foundation with a mission to support families battling childhood cancer through several programs:

 Brooklynn’s BAGs provides personalized gifts to kids with cancer at Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin. Each bag includes a blanket, handmade item, and things centered on the child’s interests. BAGs, which stands for Brooklynn and Gabe, honors Brooklynn and Gabe, a close friend she made during her cancer fight who had the same cancer at 11 years old and passed away two weeks before Brooklynn. The first official Brooklynn’s BAG was given to a 13-month-old baby with an activity table, toy cell phone, nesting turtles, and a Bluey stuffed animal, blanket, and pajamas.

 A “date night in a box,” the Couples Care Kit is designed to support parents of young cancer patients who are receiving hospice care.

 Forever in our Hearts honors the memory of courageous children who have lost their battles with cancer by offering gifts to their families on the anniversary of their child’s passing. “It’s to remind them that even when everyone else’s lives seem to move on, somebody else remembers their child and cares about them,” Erika says.

Erika hopes The Brooklynn Miller Foundation will carry on her daughter’s legacy and create purpose out of pain. “I’m doing my best to help people in ways that were important to her,” she says, her voice cracking.

Brooklynn holds a painting she made for a girl who was in the hospital on her birthday. “We didn’t know her but Brook saw a happy birthday sign on her door and wanted to get her something since she didn’t get to enjoy her special day,” Erika says. “Brook was feeling really bad that day but still wanted to take the time to make someone else’s day a little better.”

Community Engagement

Erika asks the community to come out and support

The Brooklynn Miller Foundation at several upcoming fundraisers: bmillerfoundation.org erikas@bmillerfoundation.org

• Brooklynn Miller Foundation BBQ Cook-off on June 14-15 at Moravian Hall, 2300 County Road 316, Georgetown. More information is available on the event’s Facebook page.

• Community awareness event on September 14 during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month at the Jarrell Memorial Park and Community Center.

• Sporting clay shoot fundraiser on November 8 at Capital City Clays in Austin.

More information on the community awareness event and clay shoot fundraiser will be posted on the Brooklynn Miller Foundation’s Facebook page by July 1.

The Brooklynn Miller Foundation also welcomes monetary donations as well as donations for Brooklynn’s BAGs and Couples Care Kits. For more information, visit bmillerfoundation.org and follow The Brooklynn Miller Foundation on Facebook.