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The Jay Fund was there to provide support for Isabella Brinson and her family throughout her two battles with cancer and now they continue to be there for the Ponte Vedra High graduate as she prepares for college.
She first found out that she had cancer when she was 12 years old and in seventh grade after feeling pain in her chest.
At first the doctors thought it was just her body dealing with the stresses of middle school, but then after further tests, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, which resulted in her receiving four rounds of intensive chemotherapy and spending five months in a hospital.
“It was definitely tough on me, as a 12-year-old,” Brinson said.
Fortunately, her younger brother Jude was a perfect match and was able to provide her with a bone marrow transplant.
Everything appeared to be going well, until one day as she started feeling similar symptoms during her sophomore year of high school.
Blood tests showed that she had cancer once again, leading to five more rounds of chemotherapy and six-month hospital stay.
Jude proved to be a match once again and successfully provided his sister with a stem cell transplant.
“I was pretty much at the brink of death,” Brinson said. “I don’t even remember a lot about what happened at the end of the second time. All I know is that the doctors told me that I had a 37% chance of survival.”
Brinson thanked her brother for all that he has done to help her throughout her fight.
“He was young, but so excited to help me,” Brinson said. “I would not be here without him.”
She has now been two years cancer-free since her last bout, and she is ready to look to the future.
“I’m feeling good and getting ready for the next stage of my life,” Brinson said.
Brinson was chosen from a large pool of applicants to receive a Jay Fund scholarship, and it is something that she considers a great honor.
“We’ve been through a lot as a family, but we continued to stay positive throughout,” Brinson said. “I was so grateful that I got the chance to meet the folks at the Jay Fund. I don’t even have cancer anymore, but they are still here doing what it takes to help.”
She will be attending Flagler College next month and will work towards a major in criminology and a minor in psychology with the hopes of one day having a career that deals with crime scene investigation.
“I feel like I’ve always been interested in that stuff,” Brinson said. “I’ve always liked watching true crime documentaries and podcasts.”
What she is looking forward to most is the opportunity to just be a college student and all the experiences that go along with that.
“I’m very excited about being independent and on my own, because for a long time I’ve had to rely on the help of others,” Brinson said. “It’s very liberating.”
The fondest memory she has from her time at Ponte Vedra High School is playing trumpet as a member of the Ponte Vedra High marching band.
“Joining band was one of the best decisions I ever made,” Brinson said. “It was just such a welcoming and tightknit group.”
