Since being diagnosed 5 years ago with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, 22-year-old Britney has learned that her life now is all about adjusting. Anyone with a disability or physical limitation can relate to her outlook that life before diagnosis and life after are two very different things.
When you have a disability anything that is familiar is welcome, but new experiences can be intimidating.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
For Britney, joining Live For Today was something new and exciting that she would need to adjust to. “In the beginning, I was able to bring my sister which helped me become comfortable with a new environment and made the transition a lot easier,” said Britney. “But since then, I have gotten to know the members in our group and no longer feel the need to bring anyone else with me. The more events I attended, the more comfortable I feel trusting other members to help me if I needed it.”
Britney’s decision to join Live for Today was a big step towards becoming more independent in spite of her diagnosis. It was a step which she never could have taken without her support system and primary caregiver, her sister. After 5+ years of physical therapy, a coma, brain damage, and a lot of difficulties along the way, Britney and her sister have an amazing bond. So, when it came time for her Life Adventure, we wanted to give the two of them the weekend of a lifetime!
In true – selfless – Britney style, she wanted to surprise her sister with their trip and pick her up in a limo to kick off the weekend.
My sister basically had no idea of what was planned for the weekend. She just knew that our parents were gone and we were doing something by ourselves.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
From there, the girls were off to the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club for a weekend of ultimate relaxation. Upon arrival, Live for Today’s co-founder, Todd, and his wife, Maja, welcomed them and told the girls about their weekend plans.
After dropping off their bags in their beachfront room, the girls were treated to massages, manicures and pedicures at the spa. All of their treatments were scent based for extra relaxation and the girls each got to choose which scent they preferred.
After being pampered, the sisters went back to their room where we surprised them again with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and a bundle of Peterbrooke chocolate. “It was so sweet of them to do! We ended up enjoying a few chocolates before getting showered up and ready for dinner,” said Britney.
Next, the girls headed to dinner at The Seafoam Dining Room, a fine-dining oceanfront restaurant at the resort. “The restaurant Live for Today made reservations for us at was really over the top and something we hadn’t expected at all,” said Britney.
The girls spent the next day looking around the shops and picking out a few souvenirs, before heading back home.
The whole weekend just brought my sister and I really close and gave us much needed time to rejuvenate and relax. There are no words to truly describe my appreciation to everything that Live For Today does as a whole,” said Britney. “When I think about my future, I know that in order to keep my spirits up and motivation to keep getting better, I have to have weekends like my life adventure weekend to get my own mind off of things and to rejuvenate myself.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
We would like to thank our donors and contributors for making this Life Adventure so much fun for Britney and her sister. Thank you especially to the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club and Peterbrooke Chocolatier for your in-kind donations.
