Brianna the Brave

Thousands of dollars have been raised for a Whitby family who feared they would lose their home as their daughter battled cancer.

Bernadette and Johnny Huynen are forever grateful to the community for the $20,000 raised so their daughter, Brianna, 3, can recover in her own home.

As Kapi-Mana News reported last June, the family faced losing their house while Brianna was undergoing treatment.

Mrs Huynen resigned from her job shortly after Brianna was diagnosed with a congenital Wilms’ tumour last April and Mr Huynen’s income wasn’t enough to cover their financial pressures. Mrs Huynen said without the community’s continuing support and donations they would never have been able to make their mortgage repayments.

‘‘The community’s just been incredible and we are just so thankful for everything people have done for us.’’

Mrs Huynen is planning to start an at-home business to supplement their income.

‘‘We are not out of the [financial] woods,’’ she said.

A Wilms’ tumour attaches itself to a kidney and can go unnoticed for some time. It was Brianna’s daycare teachers at Mana Early Learning Centre who first noticed the tumour on her stomach.

Mrs Huynen says she is glad Brianna has now had the ‘‘allclear’’ but there is always that small risk of it returning.

‘‘With this disease it’s so hideous and so intelligent you just don’t know.’’

Because of Brianna’s low immunity, she only returned to daycare last month, 10 months to the day she was diagnosed.

‘‘She’s really enjoying being back . . . she’s thriving in it.’’

Mrs Huynen said Brianna is a brave little superstar.

Mrs Huynen says Brianna is ‘‘nowhere near’’ the same kid she was before but her confidence is growing every day.