top of page
  • Endless Smiles Instagram

Bridget

3E7394F8-A574-4A03-AF3D-E41A2FAA688B.JPG
9EA715EE-8B07-4B34-B89B-00C29D6A6035.JPG

Bridget

Three years ago, Bridget was playing soccer and was kicked between her shin guard and her cleat. She was in heavy pain and was unable to run properly. Her family realized that her ankle was swollen and was around one centimeter larger in size. After visiting her primary doctor, she was sent to an x-ray specialist and the results showed that Bridget would need a bone biopsy. This bone biopsy showed that Bridget had osteosarcoma. 


Osteosarcoma is a type of bone cancer that tends to occur in adolescent boys. It rapidly expands, doubling itself in about 80 days, and thankfully Bridget had been diagnosed far before that. Currently, the only solution to osteosarcoma is amputation. “The hardest part for me as a mom is that childhood cancer is so underfunded, it only receives 4% of all government fundings. We as a country spend more money on Starbucks in a given week than what is allocated for a year in childhood cancer research.” After seeing her child experience the hardships of cancer, Bridget’s mom wants to make sure that no other kids to be forced to lose a limb or even be diagnosed. 


After moving to St. Jude’s Hospital, Bridget underwent 40 challenging weeks of chemotherapy and amputation of her right leg below the knee. These 40 weeks would have Bridget facing permanent hearing loss, weight loss, a blood clot in the heart, two broken femurs, and would have to relearn how to walk three times. “It was hard, but I had to go through it,” she said when asked how she overcame it. She wanted to be a normal kid again and was motivated to go through it. 


Bridget went on to make many friends at the St. Jude’s Hospital and formed a support system there. “The doctors became our family, and the nurses became a big part of our lives,” Bridget’s mom said about life in the hospital. 


Fortunately, Bridget finished her treatment in January 2018 and is disease-free. She has a service dog that helps her with balance, and with tasks such as going in and out of the shower. Bridget has shown us all that though she went through so much, she pushed through and at the end of the day, is still a normal kid. 
   

CONTACT 

Instagram: @endlesssmilesfoundation

Endless smiles foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 99-4964263

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Yelp
bottom of page