Warrior Woman- A Story of a True Survivor

This story is one that forever changed me. A dear friend of mine was struck by a speeding car in 2016. The speed at which the car hit her- and that she survived at all, is nothing short of a miracle. I will let Britt tell her story in her own words.

Keep reading my friends, as Britt opens her heart to being vulnerable and telling us about her path to healing after an extreme trauma.

“My whole life changed in the last week of November 2016. It was a typical week. I was working two jobs and excitedly planning for my family’s arrival from Australia in December. I remember getting ready for work (at Mission in West Seattle, where Dawndra and I became friends) and then the next thing I recall is knowing I was in a hospital, but not why, and seeing my Mum ( who lives in Australia) and asking if I was sick… Then it’s a blur of my beloved family and friends entwined with hospital beeping, monitors, tubes, staff and the insatiable need to get home. 

I was hit by a speeding car while crossing the street. I am very lucky to be here today walking, talking and thinking on my own. My injury list was extensive, from a shattered pelvis, broken hip, multiple neck and skull fractures, brain trauma, and many more. I was in a coma for weeks, had no real memory until the middle of January, and then in a wheelchair until April. The healing journey for me has been incredible, tough as shit, but also beautiful. 

I believe in the power of positive thinking and energy and am forever thankful for the love sent my way to aid in my healing journey. My beautiful Mum stayed with me until July and I could not imagine going through all of that without her love and care. One of my proudest moments was when the neurosurgeon came in for my follow-up ( I think in June) and said “Britt, I have been doing this 40 years and I have only been wrong once in my career and it was about you.” He said, after looking at my scans and the extent of my injuries including brain haemorrhage, he told his students ( Harborview is a teaching hospital) I would not be able to live a life without a caretaker. I proved him wrong and was deemed fully cognitive (after intense testing) and that is one of my proudest achievements.

As my brain allowed the enormity of what had happened to me to fall into place, I had to learn to love my little body again. Physically, I was different and the surgical scars were a constant reminder. My beautiful friend Dawndra gently offered and gifted me a private session in her studio. I was nervous as I could only see and feel the pain, but she made me feel beautiful for the first time post accident with the photos from that day, scars and all. That shoot helped me accept my amazing body, what I am capable of and the scars as reminders that anything is possible. My friend uses her camera to bring beauty to the world and brought light to mine when I needed it the most. 

In celebration of learning to walk again, Dawndra and I decided a magical trip to Iceland was in order. The weeks there were amazing and we had the best time! I walked the farthest  since before my accident, which was a beautiful and tough hike up a mountain to swim in a hot spring river. We saw the aurora borealis from an outdoor hot tub, hundreds of rainbows, waterfalls, black sand beaches, a plane wreck and fairytale-like landscape everywhere you look. The magical photos from that trip are ones I will cherish forever and am beyond grateful for the moments captured by one of my dearest friends. 

ICELAND

At the end of 2017, after many heartfelt farewells to my amazing friends, I moved back to Australia. I wanted to be with family as my healing journey continued and life went on. Even though I was not 100 percent I was determined to start checking my dream list off, the first was working with sea turtles! The turtle magic from that experience lights me up every time I think about it, ‘twas truly amazing. I travelled a bit and went back to Seattle for the summer. Life was going well and I was super charged with the healing I had already accomplished. 

Squamish, B.C.

After arriving back in Australia that September my left thigh started to ache in a way that was different from the healing pains. Many doctor visits later and a biopsy confirmed I had two rare tumors growing in my thigh. The pain was unbelievable and it started to affect my hard sought after ability to walk. Due to the low occurrence rate not much is known about the treatment and response of these tumor types. I decided to be my own advocate and sought a second opinion whilst on a trip to Seattle. My GP got me into the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and the amazing team there put together a treatment plan I was comfortable pursuing. I popped back to Australia, said my tearful goodbyes to my family, and moved back to Seattle. 

Astoria, Oregon

Neskowin, Oregon

I began oral chemo November 2019 and began the navigation of an unknown and challenging path. COVID was just ramping up at that time which meant my chemo journey was going to be solo. I can say that was the toughest period of my life, but I also gained many personal healings during my time alone. Sometimes you need quiet in order to allow invaluable thought processes and perspectives. I became all consumed with my healing and value my beautiful brain for allowing the positivity to constantly shine through during that period. It was a lonely, uneasy, fast paced, but necessary chapter. Having to surrender to modern medicine that helps, yet also makes you more sick, was a tough pill to swallow, literally. I had to learn that it’s okay to talk about tough things. It doesn’t mean you are not being positive, you are just stating what’s happening in your life, and it’s not always pleasant.

May 2021, I finished chemo, and began to slowly emerge from my healing cocoon. I am incredibly thankful for all the love and support, modern medicine, the power of love and positive thinking, and my incredible family and friends. 

No matter how many bad things happen, love yourself. You can always come out on top, I sure did. After coming so close to losing this life, I was given a second chance. I'm now determined to live my best life possible, full of love, laughter, and adventures.”

-Britt

Youngstown, New York

Thank you Britt for your honesty and vulnerability in sharing this heart wrenching and harrowing story. As a close friend of Britts- I can say that there is so much more to the story. How to get past the anger of the boy who hit her and paid no consequence? (minus any unknown inner consequences) Having to work long hours during Covid to keep health her insurance DESPITE the excruciating pain from the side effects of chemo. Imagine working with the flu and burns on your fingers and toes from chemo to start. Britt didn’t talk about how much pain she was in when the lumps were growing inside her, or the pain of an extra bone that grew out of the area that was shattered by the car. Her life being forever changed, ripped away in an instant. How she had to hear over and over after the accident “everything happens for a reason.” She and I had a trip to the E.R, she’s had countless doctor appointments. COUNTLESS.

Despite it all, she remained and continues to remain a WARRIOR.

Her strength throughout this story continues to inspire me. Britt is one of the sweetest humans I know. She is like a little bird, darling and sweet, an animal and nature lover. Turtles, squirrels, and cats at the top of her list.

The night the accident happened I was just down the street, bartending and excited for our shift together. I heard the sirens, and kept working deciding they were for the assisted living place across the street. I can honestly say that night and the many to follow were of the scariest times of my life. First not knowing that she would live, and then hearing about the brain trauma and that is an entirely terrifying world of the unknown. They just didn’t know if she would “be the same'“ or be able to live on her own again.

Her mother came to her rescue in this story, a true motherhood hero. Feeding Britt fresh food from a blender in the hospital, leaving her life in Australia to live here until Britt was able. She is a kind strong woman, and I really don’t have the words.

Both of her bosses did all they could do to help. Mission (Pete) held a huge fund raiser to ensure Britt could recover in a wheel chair friendly apartment instead of assisted living. The amount of love and support that I saw for her showed what an amazing person Britt is.

All of these photo shoots were a lot of work - and I am forever grateful to the woman who is so much a part of my art and soul. The photos taken in Iceland will forever touch my heart. We did the trip to celebrate her being able to walk and be in the world again, and NONE of the photos were easy to make. We contemplated a vacation on a beach that was more relaxing- especially considering Britts injuries, but somehow we chose the freezing cold, longer walks/hikes, and a much more epic path.

Go figure, Britt is a badass.

I love you Britt, sisters forever!