Community support grows for breast cancer patient

HALFMOON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A local health care provider has helped her patients get the right treatment, and as she navigated her own breast cancer diagnosis, that work family provided strong support in return. Then came multiple complications and a roadblock that could have discouraged even the best self-advocate, but Brittany Fitzmaurice has an even bigger family backing her this weekend.

NEWS10's Lydia Kulbida first met Brittany in August 2023, the nurse practitioner caring for the employees of Precision Valve & Automation, at her practice inside the plant in Halfmoon. 

"Never in a million years did I think I'd own my own business and own my own practice, but it has been one of the greatest blessings." Brittany shared. "I've created this model where you're like their old community doctor." 

PVA Employee Dan Petronis agreed. "Most people have a tough time going to doctors, going to nurses. You have something going on, you're afraid to bring it up, a lot of us are like that, but Brittany, she built a relationship with each of us." 

That relationship proved even more valuable when Brittany was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 34. Her PVA patients worked overtime as a fundraiser while she underwent treatment. The company's founder and CEO Tony Hynes said, "We come together for everybody, though she's such a special case because she's the heart of the place."

Fast forward one year and this small business owner and single mom of three young children is still active in her community as a soccer coach. But cancer has not taken a time out.

Brittany explained, "What began as 'we're going to have to go through chemo, radiation, a couple of surgeries,' that's daunting enough, but that all changed come December when I had a stroke."

What followed were more surgeries, more medications with different side effects, and more specialists.

"It's complicated it, completely," said Brittany.

As hard as it was to battle back from each medical setback, it's the fight over insurance coverage that's proved most daunting to her. "It's brought to light, especially myself as a provider, all of the insurance nuances that we also have to navigate, which I didn't realize was going to be so much when I just wanted my focus to be on beating this."

After sharing her story on social media of waiting for an out of network specialist to be approved for her next and most complicated surgery, Brittany's team of supporters grew, and they all had one goal: helping Brittany tackle cancer.

Friend David Bader observed, "Nobody should be doing any of this alone, and the fact that she's trying to raise her family and deal with all the stuff she's dealing with is just heartbreaking. People have to do things to step up, and if you have the ability to do things to step up, it's almost a responsibility."

David is hoping to fill the stands of Saturday's Brunswick Bulldogs football game with a sea of people in pink shirts, building on the support already shown by the Tamarac girls soccer team and the Brunswick Soccer club.

"I want people to come watch the games," David shared. "Cheer the kids on, support Brittany, come buy a t-shirt, wear the shirts, but don't stop there. I mean, it has to continue after just this Saturday, and I really think this Saturday is a good start to that push for what we need to bring the awareness to what's going on."

Brittany vows to continue that drive, from her community to the state capital, where her case gained the support of assembly members Scott Bendett and Mary Beth Walsh.

"The fact that I'm having to go through this right now, and to fight for proper care, proper appropriate treatment that's been backed by multiple doctors who've been treating me up to this point, I can't imagine what other people also have to go through. I know when the assembly convenes in January, they're going to ask me to come and speak. This is a time in this world when maybe things need to change."

For someone who was steadfast that she was going to go through this on her own, Brittany expressed her gratitude for all the support. "I hope my story inspires but what this small community is doing as a whole, I hope inspires people for years to come."

T-shirts sales as part of the Brunswick Bulldogs fundraiser will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 until they are sold out at the game.

Orders for the Tamarac soccer shirt fundraiser deadline is midnight Sunday.

A GoFundMe was also started by Brittany's family members to help cover the cost of her medical bills.