Cleveland, OH

North Lawarence firefighters adopts 7-year-old girl battling stage 4 Neuroblatsoma cancer for the third time

Published

9 months ago

November 17, 2023

North Lawarence firefighters adopts 7-year-old girl battling stage 4 Neuroblatsoma cancer for the third time

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.”

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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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Related Topics:ADDI Akron cancer cure doctor family Featured fire firefighters lawrence NEUROBLASTOMA

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Cleveland, OH

Ravens Using Veteran DE as Inspiration

Published

4 hours ago

August 4, 2024

Press Room

As Baltimore Ravens defensive end Brent Urban prepares for his 11th NFL season, it’s just as important as ever for him to remember where he came from.

A Mississauga, Ontario native, Urban suffered a torn ACL during his 2010 freshman season at Virginia, but rebounded to eventually become a starting defensive lineman. Then once he got to the NFL, he suffered three season-ending injuries – a torn ACL in 2014, a torn bicep in 2015 and a Lisfranc foot injury in 2017 – all in his first four seasons. As a result, he played just 25 games across those four seasons, 16 of them coming in 2016.

Urban, now in his second stint with the Ravens, has certainly been through the wringer throughout his career, but his perserverance to get where he is now is extremely impressive. As such, head coach John Harbaugh is using Urban’s story as inspiration for his younger teammates.

“I’m going to start using [Brent Urban] as an example for those guys, because it’s a perfect point,” Harbaugh told reporters. “I can remember him right over there, we were doing an inside-run drill against the [San Francisco] 49ers when we had the joint practices all of those years ago, and he tore his ACL right at the end of practice. It was like, ‘Oh.’ It was so heartbreaking, and [he] missed that whole year.

“We had high hopes for him coming out, we thought he was an odd-front defensive end in the Pittsburgh Steeler kind of realm, like the Brett Keisels of the world, and he’s turned out to be just that. He’s just that kind of player; he plays so well. But those first couple of years were tough, and here he is now. He’s got a testimony as a result of all the tests he’s been through.”

After his first stint with the Ravens came to an end in 2019, Urban has played for the Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys. He then returned to Baltimore in 2022, and last season, he set a career high with three sacks.

Now the veteran on the Ravens’ defensive line, Urban is happy to be a mentor to the younger players at his position group.

“Just being in the league is privilege,” Urban said. “Every single day, you’ve just got to relish it, because you see so many guys in and out, and just even looking at my class now, nobody’s still around; so just finding your own role, just appreciating it. As I get older, I’ve started to be able to take a seat back and really just appreciate how thankful I am to be here.”

Make sure you bookmark Baltimore Ravens on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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Cleveland, OH

GCSC Summer Golf Classic | Greater Cleveland Sports Commission

Published

11 hours ago

August 4, 2024

Press Room

GCSC Summer Golf Classic | Greater Cleveland Sports Commission

Get Your Golf On!
Golfers of all abilities are invited to play in GCSC’s Summer Golf Classic presented by First National Bank on Monday, August 5, 2024 at Cleveland Metroparks Sleepy Hollow.
Join us for a day of 18 holes with cart featuring beverages, contests & prizes, lunch and a buffet dinner.
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