Meet Abby
Our Story
Squeezy Hugs, Fish Kisses and Fist Bumps; If you were one of the lucky few that were allowed to be in her inner circle, you experienced them all. Abigail Lynn Bramlett, Abby, was a feisty sweetheart of a little girl. Her concerts were epic, and the paintings she would create out of the silliest things like nail polish or lipstick were beautiful. The rocks she liked to turn into art to share throughout the town are true treasures now scattered throughout our home. In her short 6 years here with us, she showed so much courage and strength, but remained loving and as joyful as possible considering what her body was going through. Abby didn’t like to be dependent on others. You would rarely see her ask for help. In fact, she wouldn’t hesitate to show you your errors in whatever you were doing if she felt was incorrect. With her personality being what is was, the torture of DIPG, was excruciating.
The initial symptoms developed over a few short weeks. It began with stumbling in gymnastics and then losing speech control. On June 24, 2018, when we noticed she wasn’t using her right arm, that is when our nightmare and her fight began. Before that day, we were blissfully ignorant of the monstrous disease already destroying her future. A CT scan, an overnight hospital stay and a detailed MRI confirmed it: DIPG.
With the help of friends and family, we sprung into action. Researching, making connections, trying to find out what was our next step. Over the course of the next few weeks/months, Abby would endure surgeries for port placement, multiple hospital stays for symptom control, Radiation, Chemo, and needle-sticks galore. The steroids required to keep symptoms manageable caused severe weight gain, personality changes, and, looking back, obvious depression. Abby would allow her close circle around her but no one else.
There were fleeting moments of joy and happiness during those months. We were so thankful to Wish with Wings for sending us to Disney. Even though Abby hated princesses, she tried to enjoy each day. There were many family game nights which was always a highlight for her, especially since she regularly beat us at whatever we were playing. We had multiple art sessions both in and out of hospital stays. Her paintings hang on our walls now as a reminder of her talent and desire to create something that would make us smile. When she was up to it, she loved going to church. I didn’t know it then, but she would come alive in her class singing with her friends and learning the Bible.
The treatments were not working and all the medication was making Abby miserable so we opted to stop. We had been in Houston staying with amazing friends for weeks now, but it was time to come home. In November, Abby started an intense regimen of holistic treatments. 5 days a week. Over time, we were able to wean her off the steroids, clean her system of toxins, and she became her old self again. There were still the physical limitations, but our Abby-girl was back.
Those few weeks were so wonderful. Hearing her laugh, hearing her try to tell her brother what to do, and her and her Daddy singing their song… “I love you, Yes I do, a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!” - she would always scream out “NECK” and squeeze his head off!
I miss her hugs, holding her hand on my chest as she drifts off to sleep, having her cuddled up next to me at night knowing she’s safe because I’ve got her. But I couldn’t save her from DIPG.
Symptoms returned in April with a vengeance. Looking back, you can see it killing her slowly every day. She began to have pain in her legs, urine retention along with the nausea, and all the rest this beast does to its victims. It was like sitting on the sidelines watching in slow motion as an evil crept into our home and dragged her away little by little, all the while we were frozen and incapable of stopping it, we had to stand by and watch. My prayers switched from miraculous healing to comfort and a peaceful transition. It was anything but. I don’t know how long exactly it took. She said the word “bed” at 7 the night of the 24th. The last word I heard that sweet voice say. She wanted to be in her safe space, in bed with us. And then… June 25, 2019 exactly one year to the day of her diagnosis, Abby Lynn Bramlett, Daddy’s Doodlebug and my Sweet Girl was gone. No more Fist Bumps, Fish Kisses, or those precious Squeezy Hugs, gone.
It’s taken some time to come to the point where the pain and longing can be channeled into purpose. Abby’s Joy is that purpose.
Abby Loved to Draw and Paint - Click to See Some of Her Paintings
Go Gold For September
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. As a fundraiser for Abby’s Joy, we will be giving away golden lightbulbs with every donation over $10. Our goal this year is to paint Wise County gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Click below to find out how to Go Gold.