NORTH LAWRENCE, OH — The North Lawrence Fire Department is helping one 7-year-old battle life or death. After her third cancer diagnosis, Addi Brightbill's doctors say there may not be more they can do to save her life; her Neuroblastoma cancer, which is stage 4, has no cure.
But the North Lawrence fire crew is not backing down as they remain committed to doing everything they can to help Addi.
“She’s one of ours,” said Lt. Brandon Johnston.
As Johnston explained, his volunteer firefighting crew adopted Addi after first meeting her in 2019. That same year, the crew offered ways to help relieve Addi’s family’s financial and emotional burdens.
“We had sent her a shirt and some stuff, and really, ever since then, we just stayed in contact, and before we knew it, she was coming down here for lunch…you know she held her birthday here…we’ve made trips over her school over there in Mableton,” he shared. “We wish our visits were a little more frequent.”
Addi’s trips to see her North Lawrence family are often split with visits to Akron Children’s Hospital, another home away from home. Addi receives treatments at the hospital as she battles her third cancer diagnosis since she was two years old.
“At that time, Addi was on her death bed...she wouldn’t wake up, she couldn’t walk, she couldn’t talk," said her mother, Kaylee Gierhart. “Our world stopped turning...[then] after her second round of chemo, Addi really started to perk up. She was a completely different child. ”
Gierhart says the seven tumors attacking her daughter’s body are expected to grow. However, recent scans show Addi’s tumors are stable for now.
“The more times you relapse, the harder it is to treat," Gierhart explained. "with neuroblastoma, you have to be cancer-free or have no evidence of disease for five years before you're considered in remission."
As Addi continues her treatment with a chemo pill, Gierhart regains hope, looking through a picture collage made throughout Addi’s journey.
“The doctors always say Addi has written her own rulebook to all of this…she is definitely one of the strongest kids I know.”
While Addi’s future is unknown, she remains surrounded by those she loves most. Her firefighting crew, who refer to themselves as the “Addi Tribe,” are willing to do almost anything to make her smile.
“If we learned anything from her, it’s to have a positive attitude,” said Johnston. “If she can go through what she’s in during our day-to-day is nothing.”
The North Lawrence Fire Department has raised thousands of dollars. It has partnered with Liberty Screen Printing & Embroidery, a local print and embroidery shop, to make and sell custom “Addi’s Tribe” t-shirts. Johnston says all proceeds from the t-shirt sales will go to Addi’s family as they prepare for an upcoming surgery, treatments, and more hour-long day trips to Akron Children’s.
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