Trinity Rhyan Bright, 7/7/00-10/6/07
On this day she woke up as normal, had eggs for breakfast, went to her soccer game, came home, showered, and acted as though it were any normal day. As I was brushing her hair, Trinity noted that she could see two images of herself in the mirror. She told me immediately, but I thought she was just being silly. I sent Trinity to put on her clothes and shoes but, unlike every other day, today she had to ask for my help. She couldn’t see her laces clearly enough to tie her shoes. As I bent down to help her with her laces, she commented that I had two heads! I looked up at my precious little girl to find that her eyes were crossed! Trinity had double vision.
I called Trinity’s pediatrician the next morning and they requested to see her right away. Her regular doctor wasn’t available so we saw someone else, Dr. Dalton. Dr. Dalton immediately called a pediatric eye specialist, and they decided we needed to see him on Monday.
On Monday we saw Dr. Packwood, who gave us three possibilities: rapid eye loss, nerve loss, or a tumor. He was very optimistic and said we would wait until Friday to see if things changed, and if they didn’t we would proceed with an MRI just as a precaution.
When we saw Dr. Packwood again on Friday, Trinity’s vision was the same. He suggested we move forward with the MRI, confident we wouldn’t find anything life-changing.
Monday, March 12,2007 we went to Cook’s surgery center for an MRI. We were told we should have results in 3 to 10 days. That evening at 9:30p.m. the doctor called. He told John that they had found something in the MRI and needed us to meet with an oncologist at Cook Children’s Hospital on Tuesday at 1:30p.m. John and I were so scared. What was happening??
On Tuesday, we went to meet with Dr. Olvera at Cook’s. Trinity went and played with the Child Life Specialist while John and I spoke with the doctor. It was then that Dr. Olvera gave us the horrible news!!
Trinity was diagnosed with a Diffuse Pontine Glioma. She was given a life expectancy of 6-12 months.
As you can imagine, we were devastated by this news. How could this happen to our sweet baby girl?
A Beautiful Life
Despite the grim prognosis, we lived every second to the fullest. The three of us spent our time making beautiful memories. Trinity lived her last 7 months on this earth with such a zest for life! She smiled, laughed, and enjoyed every minute she was given. She never complained once! We traveled the world (or so she thought). We traveled to Disney World (twice), California, Disney Land, San Diego, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Montego Bay Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Nassau, Castaway Cay, Sea World, Discovery Cove, and many more.
Backstage with the Blueman Group!
Trinity had the opportunity to indoor skydive, outdoor skydive, parasail, jet ski, swim with dolphins and sharks, and even got to meet the Blue Man Group! Even in her last days, struggling just to breathe, Trinity played card games, did puzzles, and even gave all of us beautifully painted faces!
Trinity’s favorite holiday was Halloween. Nearing the end of her battle, John and I knew she wouldn’t make it until Halloween. John made flyers and went around to our neighbors asking them to hand out candy on October 4th so that Trinity could Trick or Treat one last time. Our gracious neighbors did more than we could have ever imagined!! They pulled together and made October 4th the best Halloween any of us had ever seen. Everyone dressed up, the streets were full of children, there were games, goodies, clowns and even a fire truck! Trinity had a wonderful time…it was wonderful to see her last days filled with so much joy!!
On October 6th, just two short days after the Halloween celebration, Trinity passed away peacefully in our home with me and John by her side. A beautiful life was taken by such an ugly disease.
