Who: Brittany Faux has dedicated her career to caring for others, and now the public is banding together to care for her. The emergency department nurse — who lives in Dalton with her son, Trenton, 13, and her wife, Danielle — has worked in health care since she was 16. Now 31, she has worked her way up from certified nurses aide to licensed practical nurse to registered nurse, employed at Geisinger Community Medical Center, Scranton. Faux’s smile can light up a room, explained friend and co-worker Jamie Wilcox, noting her fellow nurse has a fun-loving, caring personality and “has served her community in many aspects throughout her lifetime.”
Those who know Faux remain optimistic, especially since genetic testing showed she has a gene mutation doctors can target for further treatment options. Recently, she also learned she might be a candidate for liver-directed therapy at Fox Chase Cancer Center, which would involve injecting chemotherapy directly into her primary tumor. “The battle will be long and slow,” Wilcox explained, “but as long as we remain positive and things progress forward, we are hopeful.”
Why: Faux was out of work since mid-June until recently, which gave her time to not only adjust to chemotherapy and her new lifestyle but also spend time with loved ones and focus on her health. Now, she is getting adjusted to her new normal.
How: To help Faux cover any expenses she has incurred and will face in her cancer battle, Faux’s supporters will hold Party in the Park: A Benefit for Brittany Faux on Sunday, Oct. 25, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Nay Aug Park, Scranton. The benefit will feature food, T-shirt sales, a silent auction and live music all day with headliner 7800 Fahrenheit, a Bon Jovi tribute band. T-shirts cost $15 and can be pre-ordered by calling Wilcox at 570-637-1095. Local businesses and community members who would like to donate items for the silent auction or anything else also can contact Wilcox at that number. For more information, visit the Facebook event page.
In her own words: “I have become the patient, and now I am in for the fight of my life. This has also given me the opportunity to see things from the perspective of the patients that I have been caring for and empathize with them. I am staying positive that I will come out of this stronger and that this experience will make me a better person, and nurse, both in and out of the hospital — but I need the community’s help to do that.” — Brittany Faux
Caitlin Heaney West is the content editor for Access NEPA and oversees the Early Access blog in addition to working as a copy editor and staff writer for The Times-Tribune. An award-winning journalist, she is a summa cum laude graduate of Shippensburg University and also earned a master’s degree from Marywood University. Caitlin joined the Times-Shamrock family in 2009 and lives in Scranton. Contact: cwest@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5107; or @cheaneywest
