ELBERTA, Ala. — Bryndle Reid got a welcome fit for a champion when she arrived at school Friday. Cheerleaders, volleyball players and football players lined up to greet the 6-year-old, presenting her with flowers and a sash bearing her name as her Elberta school celebrated her during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
Bryndle, who loves swimming and spending time with her family, has brain cancer. Schools across Baldwin County wore gold Friday to raise awareness of childhood cancer, and in Elberta, the day became a celebration of one very brave little girl.
At a Glance
- Who: Bryndle Reid, 6, an Elberta student who has brain cancer
- What: A school welcome with cheerleaders, volleyball and football players, flowers and a sash with her name
- When: Friday, Sept. 25, as Baldwin County schools wore gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
- Why: To honor Bryndle and raise awareness of childhood cancer
‘The Toughest Little Girl’
Her parents describe a child whose spirit has carried her through a difficult stretch of hospital visits and treatment.
“She’s the toughest little girl I’ve ever met. She’s got the best spirits,” said her father, Kevin Reid.
Her mother, Stephanie Boatwright, said Bryndle’s smile has been constant, even on the hardest days.
“She’s definitely a light. After everything that she has been through, all the hospital visits, the chemo, the sickness, there’s not a single time, even when she’s sick, that she’s not just smiling,” Boatwright said. “She’s in the hospital bed, stuff hooked all up to her, and she’s just smiling because she’s just thankful.”
A Community That Showed Up
The moment Bryndle stepped onto campus, she was surrounded by Elberta cheerleaders and athletes from the volleyball and football teams, older students who turned out to make her day special. The flowers and the sash with her name on it marked her as the guest of honor.
Principal Matthew Hurst said he expected the Elberta community to embrace Bryndle’s story, and it did.
“You know, I knew that this community was going to jump on board with celebrating her and telling her story, sharing it, getting it out, and man, they really did,” Hurst said. “And so, it just makes me really proud. And again, I feel like it’s just a privilege to get to be a part of it.”
Elberta is a small town in south Baldwin County, between Foley and the Perdido River, known for its German heritage and its tight-knit feel. Its schools are a focal point of community life, and Friday’s celebration showed how quickly that community can rally around one of its youngest members.
A Mother’s Hope for More Support
Boatwright said she hopes the attention on her daughter will lead to greater awareness of childhood cancer, and ultimately, more resources to fight it.
“It’s just amazing to highlight that children go through so much and they need more. Just support. More support and more eyes on childhood cancer so we can grow the community so we learn more and they can get more funds to one day hopefully eventually cure childhood cancer,” she said.
Her call echoes a message that childhood cancer advocates repeat every September: pediatric cancers are different from adult cancers, and children need research and treatments designed with them in mind.
Understanding Childhood Brain Tumors
Brain and spinal cord tumors are the second most common type of cancer in children, after leukemia, according to the American Cancer Society. The organization estimates that about 4,900 brain and spinal cord tumors are diagnosed each year among children and adolescents in the United States, accounting for roughly one in five childhood cancers.
There are many different kinds of childhood brain tumors, and they vary widely in how they behave and how they are treated. Treatment can include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, depending on the type and location of the tumor. The American Cancer Society reports that about three out of four children with brain tumors, across all types combined, survive at least five years after diagnosis, though outcomes differ a great deal from one tumor type to another.
Overall, about 9,680 children in the United States are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in 2026, according to the American Cancer Society. Survival has improved dramatically over the decades: about 85% of children with cancer now survive five years or more, compared with roughly 58% in the mid-1970s. Even so, the National Cancer Institute reports that cancer remains the leading cause of death from disease among children past infancy.
Why Schools Go Gold
Gold is the color of the childhood cancer awareness ribbon, and throughout September, schools, hospitals and businesses nationwide use it to show support. Baldwin County Public Schools encouraged students and staff to wear gold Friday, and several schools across the county used the occasion to honor students who are in treatment.
Those events serve more than one purpose. They give children who are sick a day to feel celebrated, they give families a visible sign that their community is behind them, and they help classmates understand, in an age-appropriate way, what some of their peers are facing.
For children in treatment, staying connected to school can be important. Federal law, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, allows students whose medical conditions affect their learning to receive accommodations such as flexible schedules, extra time or instruction outside the classroom. Families can work with school administrators and counselors to find the right fit.
Ways to Support Families Facing Childhood Cancer
Residents who were moved by Bryndle’s story and want to help families like hers have several options:
- Donate blood or platelets: Children receiving chemotherapy often need transfusions, and local blood drives help ensure supplies are available.
- Offer practical help: Meals, rides, help with siblings and gas money for trips to treatment can make a real difference to families.
- Support reputable research and family-assistance organizations: Many groups fund pediatric cancer research or help families with the costs that come with treatment.
- Keep the awareness going: Wearing gold and sharing accurate information about childhood cancer helps keep attention on the cause beyond September.
A Month of Recognition on the Gulf Coast
Elberta’s celebration came during a month of awareness events across the region. In Bay Minette, students at Bay Minette Elementary paraded through the halls to cheer on two classmates with cancer. In Mobile, USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital is holding its third annual Childhood Cancer Reunion on Sunday, Sept. 27, for current and former patients, their families and their care teams.
For Bryndle, Friday was about flowers, a sash with her name and a crowd of big kids cheering for her. For her parents, it was proof of something they already knew: their daughter is tough, she is a light, and she does not have to face this alone.