In May 2012, doctors believed Bronwyn Huffman would be alive for another two weeks.
“We all cried,” said Kellie Huffman, mother of the then 15-year-old, as she recalled that devastating news. “But then Bronwyn got really quiet and she started comforting me. Weeks later, when I asked her what happened in that moment, she said she just heard a voice in her head that said ‘you’re not going to die from this.’”
On Tuesday afternoon, the teenage girl who had two weeks of life left more than a year ago, emerged from the arrival gates of the Thunder Bay International Airport to meet awaiting family members after spending more than a year as a patient at the Toronto Sick Kids hospital.
Bronwyn, who is now the first patient ever discharged from the Sick Kids hospital with a heart pump, arrived to attend her sister Sinead's high school graduation on Thursday.
Kellie Huffman describes her daughter’s arrival to Thunder Bay as a miracle.
“It’s not just Bronwyn that’s going through all this – it’s all of us,” she said. “Sinead’s journey has also been remarkable. This week is so important. There’s no thinking about the future. You have to focus on what’s happening in the moment. We’re really looking forward to going to Sinead’s graduation because we really didn’t think that was going to happen.”
Doctors diagnosed Bronwyn with pediatric acute myeloid leukemia January last year at the children’s hospital in London, Ont. A few months later, she suffered heart failure as a result of her chemotherapy treatment.
That’s when the family was told Bronwyn would probably die.
Kellie Huffman, her husband, Barry, and Bronwyn all lived in Toronto while Sinead remained in Thunder Bay to complete high school.
The cost of having the family live in two cities left the family with a major financial burden. But they were able to pull through with the help from the community.
The family also received some help from Nikita star Maggie Q.
Huffman said they ran into the actor on the street and after hearing their story she offered to pay for an apartment near the hospital for an entire year.
“Everything was taken away,” she said. “We found ourselves living in one of the most expensive cities in the country on one income. Remarkably, my husband’s manager was able to transfer him to Oakville.”
Bronwyn said she was able to keep fighting because of the support she received from her friends and family.
“The most difficult time was probably this time last year when I was told I wasn’t going to live,” she said. “I haven’t been (in Thunder Bay) for so long. My head is in all kinds of different places. I’m getting my energy back and walk around more. I don’t really look into the future that much. I just kind of live in the moment.”
Bronwyn’s aunt Erinn DeLorenzi said she couldn’t express how proud she was of her niece.
The last time she saw Bronwyn was last year when they believed that she was going to die. She said she was looking forward to seeing her niece.
“Bronwyn has been fighting harder than any 15-year-old girl fights anything,” she said.
“She learned how to walk, she has been dealing with the effects of chemo on her brain. It can cause a fogginess. She’s been going to school. She has inspired me and thousands of other people who have been following her story.”
Anyone who wants to learn more about Bronwyn’s story can visit her Facebook page.
