Most teenagers dream of celebrating their 16th birthday with a big party, but Brianna Garner had something much bolder in mind.
Instead of a traditional Sweet 16, Brianna jumped from a plane 15,000 feet in the sky, to raise funds for the hospital that successfully treated her mother’s eye cancer.
Brianna’s mother, Christine, was diagnosed with ocular cancer five years ago. Christine had experienced a pain behind her right eye for quite a while, making her think she needed new glasses. Following a trip to her local opticians, Christine was told to visit her GP, who then referred her to St Paul’s Eye Unit at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
After being referred to the specialist team at St Paul’s Eye Unit, tests revealed a large tumour had been developing.
In January 2019, Christine underwent a 45-minute operation to remove the tumour, and this also involved removing her right eye. Christine has clinic appointments every six months to check her eye socket and scans to look for any potential spread of her cancer.
Now, Brianna wants to give back to the hospital that gave her family hope.
“The team at the Royal saved my mum’s life,” Brianna said. “I wanted to do something meaningful for my birthday, something that would help other families facing similar battles.
“I also wanted to raise greater awareness of eye cancer. When my mum was diagnosed, we didn’t even know that there was such a thing. My mum’s cancer meant that she had to have her eye removed, so contending with the cancer, loss of an eye, and a young family, was very challenging.”
Brianna has set up a fundraising campaign which has so far raised more than £2,000 to support cancer research and patient care at St Paul’s Eye Unit.
Professor Heinrich Heimann, Ocular Oncology Surgeon, at St Paul’s Eye Unit at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, said: “We are incredibly proud of Brianna. Her courage and generosity are truly inspiring, and her efforts will make a real difference to the lives of future patients.
“Our aim is to save the eye and vision, but unfortunately there are cases like Christine’s where the tumour is too large for radiotherapy to be a success. The only possible course of action was to remove the eye to save her life.”
If you would like to support Brianna’s fundraising for cancer research and St Paul’s Eye Unit, please visit her Just Giving page.