TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Yard Sale To Defray Valrico Mother's Medical Bills

Brantley family photo

Recovering from her first round of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia, Brooke Longwell Brantley of Valrico celebrates her son, Jarrett’s, birthday in November 2006 with her father, Jim Longwell, son, Nathan, and daughter, Savannah. To encourage his daughter, Jim Longwell shaved his head when his daughter lost her hair as a result of the chemotherapy.

ADVERTISEMENT

Published: October 10, 2008

BRANDON - Members of the Bell Shoals Baptist Church middle school youth group have been furiously poring through dresser drawers, digging around in closets and hunting in corners of garages, hoping to uncover hidden treasures.

If their efforts pay off, they can help pay medical expenses incurred by the mother of their friend, 13-year-old Savannah Brantley, a student at Mulrennan Middle School.

The bills continue to pile up since Brooke Longwell Brantley, 34, of Valrico, underwent a life-saving bone marrow transplant in January. She was diagnosed in 2006 with acute myelogenous leukemia, a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow.

Brantley, a 1992 Bloomingdale High School graduate, is a single mother of three, Savannah and two younger brothers, Jarrett, 10, and Nathan, 8.

When Scarlett Fox and four friends in the Bell Shoals youth group learned of the family's struggle, they approached Fox's mother, Mari, about planning a fundraiser. They orchestrated a community yard sale set for Saturday.

Brantley's transplant came after widespread community support. After a bone marrow drive last year, doctors told her in January a match had been found, and she had the transplant at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute.

"Brooke is doing very well," said her mother, Phyllis Longwell. "She's still in remission. She has a lot of fatigue, which is natural after a transplant."

She said Brantley also must take costly medications to prevent her body from rejecting the bone marrow, and not all are covered by insurance.

Mari Fox said her daughter was committed to helping the Brantleys' bills get paid.

"My daughter just had it in her heart that she wanted to do something to help," she said.

Get Involved

WHAT: Yard sale to help cover Brooke Longwell Brantley's medical bills

WHEN: 7 a.m. to noon Saturday

WHERE: 2549 Arborwood Drive, off Miller Road between State Road 60 and Lithia-Pinecrest Road

DONATIONS: New or gently used items may be dropped off today from 5 to 7 p.m.; money and gift cards can be dropped off during those hours or at the yard sale.

FOR INFORMATION: Call (813) 679-7787.

Reporter D'Ann Lawrence White can be reached at (813) 657-4524.

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT