💔🙏 BRITTANY HIGH: A BIRMINGHAM WOMAN’S STORY OF COURAGE AND RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF ALS

She was creative, loving, and full of life. Then, at just 35, Brittany High received a devastating diagnosis that would change nearly every part of her world. Today, her mother is asking people everywhere to pray for her daughter. 🕊️

Birmingham, Alabama, native Brittany High grew up expressing herself through creativity.

She loved sewing and drawing.

She sang.

She danced.

She found ways to turn her talents into part of everyday life, carrying that creativity with her as she grew into adulthood.

Her longtime friend, Nikea Richardson, remembers meeting Brittany at Shelton State in 2007.

“We became the best of friends,” Nikea recalled.

Their friendship began when they were young adults, during a time when life seemed full of possibilities.

Years later, Nikea would find herself watching her friend face an illness neither of them could have imagined.

💔 THE FIRST WARNING SIGNS

In the spring of 2024, Brittany began experiencing ankle pain.

At first, there was no way to know what those symptoms would eventually mean.

She visited doctors, including a neurologist and a neuromuscular specialist.

She underwent infusions and other treatments as physicians tried to determine what was happening.

But Brittany’s mobility continued to worsen.

She went from using a cane, to a walker, and eventually a wheelchair.

Then came the diagnosis that changed everything.

ALS — amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Brittany was only 35 years old.

She was young, vibrant, and still building her life.

For her and her family, the diagnosis was almost impossible to comprehend.

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurological condition that affects nerve cells responsible for voluntary muscle movement.

Brittany was told she might have only two to five years to live.

Today, she is approximately 18 months into her illness.

🕊️ A LIFE CHANGED BY ILLNESS

Brittany is now 37 and is confined to her bed around the clock.

She is non-verbal and communicates through an eye-gaze machine, spelling out words with her eyes.

Her mother, Lisa Smoot, says Brittany is still hanging in there.

But the physical challenges have been enormous.

Lisa says her daughter has been hospitalized seven times with pneumonia.

She now has a tracheostomy, a feeding tube, and an IV port.

“The only thing Brittany can move is her eyes,” Lisa said.

For a mother watching her daughter endure such a devastating illness, there are few words capable of describing the pain.

Yet Lisa continues to care for Brittany and advocate for her.

She also continues to honor one very personal promise she made to her daughter.

Lisa has chosen not to share pH๏τographs of Brittany since her diagnosis.

“Brittany used to cry every time she saw herself,” Lisa explained.

“I’m keeping my promise to my daughter.”

That decision reflects something deeper than privacy.

It reflects a mother’s desire to protect her daughter’s dignity while telling the world about the person she is beyond the illness.

❤️ REMEMBERING WHO BRITTANY IS

Nikea still visits Brittany.

She holds her friend’s hand.

And she talks about the past — about the years when they were in their twenties, experiencing life and making memories together.

“I often hold Brittany’s hand when I visit,” Nikea said. “I talk about the old days when we were in our 20’s and were taking in life.”

Those memories matter.

Because Brittany is more than a diagnosis.

She is the woman who loved to create.

The friend who made lasting connections.

The daughter who is deeply loved by her mother.

The young woman who once had the freedom to sing, dance, draw, sew, work, dream, and experience life in countless ordinary ways.

Today, her world is much smaller.

But her story is still reaching far beyond her home in Birmingham.

🙏 A REQUEST FOR PRAYERS

Lisa says she decided to share Brittany’s story because she wants as many prayers as possible.

She wants people to know her daughter.

Not simply as someone living with ALS, but as Brittany High — a wonderful young woman who has shown extraordinary courage while facing an unimaginable illness.

Her family knows the road ahead is difficult.

They know there are no easy answers.

But they are continuing to take things one day at a time.

And they are asking others to stand with them through prayer, love, and support. 🕊️

Brittany may no longer be able to speak with her voice.

But through her eyes, she continues to communicate.

Through her mother, her story continues to be told.

And through her friends, the memories of the woman she has always been continue to live on.

🙏 Please say a prayer for Brittany High today.

Pray for her strength.

Pray for her comfort.

Pray for Lisa and everyone who loves her.

And if you feel moved, share Brittany’s story so more people can know her name.

The world needs to know about Brittany High. 💗