BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — You might remember 6-year-old Brynlee Ailinger from just a few months ago, when I shared the story of her sharing temporary tattoos to spread smiles at Oishei Children's Hospital.
“I do that to make other kids happy and have a good time,” Brynlee told me in May.
WATCH: Cancer warrior uses temporary tattoos to spread smiles
Behind that joyful spirit is a story of resilience, fear, and groundbreaking medical science.
When Brynlee was just four years old, she was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of leukemia, precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, complicated by a high-risk mutation called TCF3-HLH. Her condition resisted traditional treatments.
“Not knowing what was going to happen before, I wanted to be optimistic,” said her father, Justin Ailinger. “But when you hear that treatments aren’t working, and there are only so many options available, you get a little scared.”
But through the uncertainty, hope remained their focal point.
That hope led them to Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, where Bryn was offered a groundbreaking treatment known as CAR T-cell therapy, a revolutionary, personalized form of immunotherapy.
“The one she had was called CAR T-cell therapy,” her father said. “That was the big treatment that got her into remission. Once we got there, we quickly followed up with a stem cell transplant.”
WATCH: 'It got her into remission': How CAR T-Cell Therapy gave 6-year-old Brynlee Ailinger a new chance at life
Dr. Meghan Higman, a pediatric hematologic oncologist at Roswell Park, was part of Bryn’s care team.
Higman said that because of Bryn’s mutation, chemotherapy alone wasn’t going to be enough.
“She had a mutation that was very hard to kill with chemo alone, so we recommended something with a more immune-based approach,” said Dr. Higman.
Higman said CAR T-cell therapy involves collecting a patient’s own immune cells, genetically re-engineering them in a specialized lab, and teaching them to target and destroy cancer cells.
“CAR Ts are her own cells, collected and changed using gene therapy,” Dr. Higman said."Basically, they are inserting pieces that allow those cells to be able to target a particular mark around leukemia cells and also then engage the immune system."
Now, nearly one year in remission, Bryn is heading to the first grade.
Her family said that through every treatment, every hospital stay, and every setback, Bryn never lost what made her special.
“Despite everything, she never lost her sass or her spirit; she carried us through the day more than we carried her; she didn’t really have down days,” her father added. “She was always upbeat.”
Now Bryn’s story is not just one of survival, but one of inspiration.
“She is one of those kids where we’ve been able to make a difference because of new research and immunotherapy,” Dr. Higman said.
