Cute Brytt’s Acute Battle

On Friday 29 October, a family meeting was called at Waikato Hospital. The hospital in which Bryttany Lovich was born prematurely in 1999. From her fragile start to life, fast-forward to today, and just weeks shy of her 22nd birthday, the hardworking, bubbly, kind-hearted graduate has the world at her feet, only now she has to fight again for her youth.

The family meeting was not one any 20-something would ever expect to be having on any given Friday yet it’s one that’s all-too-familiar for the Lovich’s. This time, the sudden meeting would reveal that beautiful Bryttany is set to put up another fight, this time, in the face of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, a form of bone marrow cancer that hits quickly and attacks the white blood cells.

Her dad, Gunner Lovich, a long-service Waikato Paramedic said in disbelief “it was any wonder she was even standing, let alone going to work with a hemaglobin that low”… it only reiterates Bryttany’s example of strength. Her ability to show up and shine on, resiliently.

On her 2nd birthday, Bryttany was first diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, another form of the disease, she wasn’t expected to survive the many challenges she faced, yet against all odds time-after-time, we all held our breath and confronted the worst case scenarios on the rollercoaster of childhood cancer and she pushed the limits and kept shining. Bryttany fought so hard to survive and by age 6 was in remission, able to experience a version of normal she never had. Blossoming into the humble woman she is today, no one would know what it’s taken for her to be here.

Now (almost to-the-day) 20years on, and heartbreakingly, she will experience her battle as a young woman with comorbidities and in the midst of an ongoing pandemic.

This page has been set up by Bryttany’s expat cousin who has been unable to return to New Zealand this year, yet would like to be proactive and rally support around Bryttany and their family. Any amount raised will go entirely to Bryttany and whatever it takes in her fight to create the best version of life she deserves to thrive in… a life that is cancer free and carefree! The gift of her reclaiming her wellness and her twenties!

Here’s to you Bryttany, gentle and brave!

With gratitude for all 🙏🏼