At Little Rae of Sunshine, we envision a world where every child is empowered to shine beyond their diagnosis—embracing their full potential with confidence, resilience, and hope. We strive to be a trusted source of compassionate, collaborative care, where families feel supported and children are inspired to grow, heal, and discover the light within themselves.

My name is Brittany, and I am the founder of Little Rae of Sunshine. I am a registered nurse, a wife, and most importantly, a mom to three amazing girls: McKenna, Raelynn, and Blakely. Being their mom is the greatest gift, but motherhood has not unfolded the way I once imagined. I expected sleepless nights with a hungry baby, first smiles, first steps, first words, and the busy days of raising an active toddler. What I did not expect was to experience those moments alongside medical alarms, hospital stays, therapy sessions, and countless doctor appointments. It has been the hardest journey of my life, but also the most meaningful and beautiful.

In December 2017, our world changed completely with the arrival of our daughter, Raelynn. She was born weighing 5 pounds, 4 ounces and measuring 19 inches long.

We believed she has a coarctation of the aorta, a bicuspid valve, and possible a genetic mutation. We expected a one to two week stay for heart surgery and genetic testing. Instead, her first 24 hours were a whirlwind of tests, including echocardiograms, blood work, genetic testing, and MRIs. While the echocardiograms and genetic testing showed no major concerns, her blood work and MRI revealed something no one anticipated.

Our sweet, one-day-old baby girl had a brain tumor. It was a tumor she was born with, growing as she grew and taking up a large amount of space in her developing skull. That expected one- to two-week stay quickly turned into four months filled with multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, feeding pumps, and skin grafts.

Every one of those 109 days felt heavy, long, and never-ending. There was so much uncertainty, and no guarantee that any of the treatments would work. She was so tiny that no one knew whether she could survive them. But we held on to hope—so much hope. At just 21 days old, she had her first craniotomy, followed by eight rounds of chemotherapy, many side effects, multiple hospitalizations, and countless setbacks.

In September 2018, she underwent a second craniotomy that removed about 80 percent of the tumor. As a result, she lost the ability to blink her left eye and move the left side of her face. For the next three months, she had monthly MRIs to monitor how the tumor responded to surgery and chemotherapy. Raelynn’s tumor showed no signs of growth. It was finally her time to grow and learn! In November 2019, Raelynn began her first intensive therapy program, completing 45 hours of therapy in just three weeks. It was the start of exactly what she needed to thrive. She has now completed 10 intensive therapy sessions, gradually working up to 60 hours in three weeks. Today, she is a thriving 8-year-old who has been incredibly fortunate to have these opportunities to grow into the best version of herself!

While this was not the journey we expected when Raelynn was born it has been a beautiful one. We have met a whole new community of kids, parents, therapists, doctors, nurses, social workers, and teachers. Best of all we have met some of our biggest cheerleaders. For years, we have had a whole community to fall back on. We could not have made it this far without them.

However, Raelynn’s journey is bigger than her journey alone. There are so many kids just like Raelynn with all different diagnoses and neurological disabilities. It is now our mission to give as many of these kids in our own community the same opportunities you have all given her. We are working to open a nonprofit therapy clinic that offers intensive therapy and after-school programming for kids with neurological disabilities just like her! These kids deserve services in their own community that work for them! We cannot wait to watch Little Rae of Sunshine help little hearts shine brighter! Welcome to our next adventure!

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Brittany Ruth
Mom + Founder