By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic

The smile that spread across Bryn Bradley’s face as she walked the stage May 21 to receive her diploma may have seemed the same as the 250 other elated Bishop Lynch High School graduates. Her smile, however, was much more. It was one of pure, unadulterated joy and gratitude.

“I’m just so thankful, truly thankful, that I could actually be there and walk across that stage,” Bradley said. “It’s just truly amazing.”

For Bradley, the ceremonial walk was not always a foregone conclusion. This past October, as her senior year at Bishop Lynch was just getting under way, Bradley was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma.

“I was sitting with my parents at our homecoming game, and my brother, Ty, had just scored a touchdown,” Bradley said. “I just yelled, ‘Go Ty,’ and lost my voice instantly.”

A few days later, a trip to the doctor to see if Bradley had strep throat led to the discovery of cancer after she informed doctors of a bump on her throat.

“I honestly was just kind of shocked. Shocked and sad,” Bradley said. “It was my senior year, and all the fun kind of things were just starting…and I knew that I wouldn’t get to be a part of all that.”

At first, Bradley wasn’t ready to process it all, even attending powerlifting practice after learning of the diagnosis. 

“I went to practice the next couple of days…just to kind of have something normal in my life,” she said. “But I was definitely upset about not being around my friends, missing out on everything, and not getting to do a bunch of the senior things.” 

Bradley immediately began chemotherapy and continued to attend Bishop Lynch in person until it was no longer physically possible.

“I think I made it three or four days of school,” she said, “and then we decided to just take a step back.” 

The second and third rounds of chemotherapy proved even tougher, and Bradley was unable to even do work remotely. However, by the fourth round, she was feeling stronger and began working on online and emailed assignments. Familiar with the process after having to work remotely her freshman and sophomore years due to COVID-19, Bradley excelled academically, working hard to catch up with her classmates.  

On March 2, Bradley rang the bell at Children’s Health, signaling her cancer-free diagnosis. The second week of March, she returned to the classroom.
“Seeing her go back to school, and seeing her reacclimate with her friends and class —was that an answered prayer? Yes, definitely,” said her mother, Amie Bradley.

The Bradleys were quick to point out that they did not face this journey alone, encountering God’s hand at work through many others along the way.

“It felt like God was just putting so many people in our path,” said Amie Bradley, noting that several nurses at Children’s Health had connections to Bishop Lynch and a number were graduates of Ursuline Academy as well, including the hospital chaplain, Jerilyn Walker, who attended St. Monica Catholic School with Amie. “In just seeing all those caring faces, it was pretty amazing for us as a family. I just really felt like Bryn was known and cared for so well by these women.”

Her husband, Steve Bradley, agreed, calling both the support and his daughter’s response to all of it inspiring. 

“She was truly surrendering and trusting in the whole process,” he said. “Even more inspiring, though, was all the people outside of our family who came alongside us to help by bringing a meal or sending a note of encouragement. It all really helped us to be able to take it one day at a time.”  

Bradley is the fourth of five siblings to join their mother in attending Bishop Lynch. Amie Bradley’s mother also worked at the school for 19 years. The support the family received from the school community came as no surprise.

“Cancer is too heavy a burden to carry alone,” Amie Bradley said. “It’s just an intense, all-hands-on-deck experience as a family. I think so many people in the Bishop Lynch community

In particular, Bradley praised Bishop Lynch nurse Patti Barton and counselor Aisha Merced. 

“They were the ones who were just always encouraging me and working with me on what I needed to get done,” she said. “They were always there, answering the phone when I needed them – even if it was the middle of the night.” 

“As a parent, I just don’t know of any way other than to describe it other than we are just incredibly grateful for the community that surrounded us,” said Amie Bradley, adding that the family also relied heavily on its Christian faith. “I don’t know as a parent how you walk through something like this if you don’t have a solid faith, and I’m just so grateful for how this has grown Bryn’s faith.” 

Bradley agreed, saying her faith played a major role in her recovery process. 

“I think the initial 30 minutes to an hour of me learning about my diagnosis, I was really nervous, scared and had a lot of anxiety,” she said. “Then, almost immediately, I became peaceful. That’s just the Holy Spirit at work. When I was asked to just put everything on pause, it gave me time to focus on the Lord, what He is doing in my life and how He wants to use me.”

As they watched their daughter walk the stage at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland for graduation, the Bradleys truly had something to celebrate.

“Not only has she beaten cancer, but she was able to finish the school year,” Steve Bradley said. “It’s truly amazing.”

“I’m proud of her and her individual accomplishments,” Amie Bradley added. “At the same time, I’m overwhelmed at just seeing the joy of how she’s impacted a community and it has impacted her.

“It’s an absolute gift.”