Kids get sick all the time, right?  But in this case, the headaches and vomiting that Brittney suffered in November 2008 were a sign of something far more dire than the flu. 

An x-ray showed an enlarged heart and a blood clot in her lower left ventricle.

With her heart functioning only at 23%, it became clear she needed a heart transplant to live.

Brittney received a new heart on December 16, 2008. Over the last three years, she has had over 10 heart catheterizations, appendicitis, a sternum wire break requiring surgery, viral pericarditis, and a major heart rejection episode that required a six-week hospital stay. 

Despite these setbacks, Brittney refuses to let heart disease get the best of her. She resumed normal activities, including dance, soccer, softball and lacrosse less than six months after her transplant!  She is involved in volunteer work and returns to the Ronald McDonald House in Ann Arbor regularly to provide dinner to the families staying there. At just 13 years old, Brittney has proved herself a fighter.