Rallying around Brianna

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT BEACH -- Students at Newport Heights Elementary are yearning

for the return of one of their favorite classmates -- Brianna Olympius.

“I just want her to come back to school,” said 9-year-old Desiree

Alexander. “She’s really nice and a good girl.”

They are not alone. Brianna can’t wait to take her seat in John

Daffron’s fourth-grade class in Room 28, and doctors hope to have her

back in weeks.

Every fourth-grader at the school signed a 10-foot, neon pink banner

that they proudly displayed Wednesday as a get well wish to their

classmate.

“We did this sign because she’s special to us,” Desiree said.

Just weeks ago, 9-year-old Brianna was diagnosed with a brain tumor

and underwent a grueling seven-hour surgery that removed 90% of the

benign tumor.

As Brianna and her family struggle to combat the noncancerous tumor,

the community is rallying around them by offering both emotional and

financial support.

“We’re getting goods donations and there’s promises of more,” said

Teri Carano, a family friend spearheading the fund-raising drive.

Community members have brought food, presents, laughter, hope and most

importantly cash donations to help ease the burden of medical bills

during the family’s tough times, Carano said.

A representative will be at the Environmental Nature Center’s pumpkin

patch party collecting donations, and a booth will be set up to collect

donations at the Newport Heights Oktoberfest celebration from 4 to 7:30

p.m. Oct. 27.

“That’s what we’re doing so far until we dream of something else,”

Carano said.

While the efforts are of tremendous help and comfort to the family, it

is her classmates’ sentiments that surely mean the most for Brianna.

“She’s really the best one in class,” confided her friend Ashlee

Roberson, 9.

FYI

For information on how you can help, call Teri Carano at (949)

642-1189. Donations can be sent to Brianna Olympius Donations, c/o Ron

Searcy, 300 E. 15th St., Newport Beach 92663.