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Where are they now? Growing leg prosthesis recipient now in college

Bria Brown

Even the orthopaedic surgeon who is like a second dad to her couldn’t have guessed Bria Brown would be on a high school cheerleading stunt team.

When she was just 7 years old, Bria met Hudson Berrey, MD, for a surgery that was the last hope for her left leg. She had a rare bone cancer called osteosarcoma, and doctors in her hometown, Miami, had told her family the entire leg should be removed.

When they asked if there were any other options, they were told about an orthopaedic surgeon to the north who was “doing something radical” at UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville. Berrey, now a UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville professor, replaced the cancerous thigh bone in Bria’s body with a custom-made metal rod. A spring in the rod could be expanded through heat applications as she grew, ensuring that her left leg would continue to grow at the same pace as her right.

Now 19, Bria is a bubbly college student who has already spent much of her life giving back to other patients. She’s been an ambassador for the American Cancer Society for 12 years, participating in Relay for Life every year and representing the organization before state and national legislators. She also started her own nonprofit, Bria’s Bears, inspired by a teddy bear a visitor gave her during her hospital stay years ago.

“I’ve delivered over 2,000 teddy bears, visited hospitals and held teddy bear drives, because that teddy bear meant so much to me. It showed me that someone cared outside of my family, and that meant a lot to me,” she said.

Bria and her family have also reached out to families facing similar diagnoses. They tell them their personal story and put them in contact with Berrey.

“Dr. Berrey is my angel. I would follow him anywhere. If he was practicing in China, I’d be moving to China,” Bria said. “He has a great heart. He walks in all tall, standing 6-foot-5 with the biggest smile, and I just light up.”

Berrey said he’s often asked how he can handle taking care of children with cancer.

“My answer is I get more from them than I give to them. They are examples of courage and hope and strength that I find uplifting,” he said.

But Bria’s courage made even Berrey nervous when she decided to go against his advice and sign up for the cheerleading squad.

“I just didn’t want people to put a limit on me, because I don’t put a limit on myself. I want a full chance at life. He gave that to me, and I’m going to use it,” she said.

Now Bria is a college junior studying broadcast journalism and minoring in public relations and sports management at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. She had once dreamed of becoming a pediatric oncologist, but when she delved into the specialty, she found herself working in labs more than she was interacting with patients. She decided to pursue another love in journalism instead.

“She’s really been a wonderful child,” Bria’s mother Carol said. “You take the circumstances you’re given, and you can either make a negative or a positive. She always makes it a positive.”

Bria remembers being called the “bionic woman” during her school days. It embarrassed her at the time, but now she is proud to share her story.

“I think my bone is pretty cool. I’m not like everybody else.”

Bria said encouraging other patients will always be a part of her life.

“There’s always someone who has it worse, and you might be that factor that helps them get through it,” she said.

This story is an installment in our “Where are they now?” series of updates on some of our best- known patients from years past. You can read the rest of our updates by clicking on any one of the links below:

ATV crash victim overcame head trauma and became a teacher

Patient goes from fractured skull to swimming pools and roller coasters

Little boy in four-wheeler crash now a 6-foot-4 hunting enthusiast

Patient who couldn’t open eyes or speak is back to outdoorsy lifestyle

High school crash victim back on his bike at college