By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher Brianna Gansert’s freshman year at Mainland Regional High School has not gone the way she thought it would. The former Linwood Panthers cheerleader thought she would maybe be joining the cheerleading team, enjoying time with her friends at local pizza parlors, things like that. But three days after the school year started, Brianna, now 15 years old, was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. She spent the next six weeks at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia undergoing various chemotherapy treatments with her mom, Jen, by her side. The active, energetic young girl had to go through a lot of pain, lost all her hair, and has been fighting a challenging battle for the last six months. But if there is one thing the Mainland community is good at, it is rallying around people in need. On March 7, at halftime of the Mustangs’ girls basketball playoff game against Moorestown, Brianna was the center of attention as members of the freshman class presented a check for more than $3,000 that will be donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in Brianna’s honor. It was the culmination of months of hard fundraising work by not only Mainland students, but student-athletes at Egg Harbor Township High School as well. Student-athletes, coaches, administrators and parents from Mainland and EHT high schools banded together to raise more than $3,000 in support of Gansert. Student-athletes, coaches, administrators and parents from Mainland and EHT high schools banded together to raise more than $3,000 in support of Gansert. Many people have stepped up to help the Ganserts out, particularly neighbor Nancy Gatley, wife of Mustangs Athletic Director Mike Gatley. “My neighber, Nancy Gatley, is a total godsend. It’s so hard for me to keep up with everything. So many people are calling me and asking if there is anything they can do. I can’t call everybody back, it’s just too much for me,” Jen said. “Sometimes we spend weeks at a time (at CHOP). And I have two boys at home I have to take care of, and I work, so it’s hard. So Nancy sort of took the reins with all of that, which is a huge help to me. I don’t know what I would do without her.” Leonard said that Brianna has been an inspiration, not only to the freshman class, but the entire school. “I am so blown away by her strength and her courage. It’s such an inspiration to the community,” Leonard said. “Brianna is resilient. She has shown her strength and her courage throughout this whole process. She started her freshman year and she was excited, like all the other freshmen, starting the year here. But life kind of took a different path for her this year and I think she’s done a great job in making the best of her situation right now and doing what she has to do. And we will continue to support her until she walks our halls again.” In the age of social media, Brianna’s story has reached many people, including one person who blew her away by sending her a personalized get-well video — Harry Styles. Yes, that Harry Styles, of the band One Direction. “Oh, my God. I can’t even describe how excited she was and how happy she was. She cried a little bit out of excitement,” Jen said. “That’s been the highlight of her life. I can’t even describe it. The fact that he said her name, wished her well. She was like, ‘oh, my God, mom! He said my name!’ That was a big thing.” Despite the challenges the Gansert family is facing, Jen and Brianna are showing a lot of courage. “I’m on a lot of medicine, so I don’t feel a lot (of the pain),” Brianna said. “I have a lot of support from everybody, so it’s hard not to be happy.” Said Jen, “It’s a rough ride, but she’s a fighter. She will beat this. I have no doubt.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]