When 10-year-old Briana Gonzales is carried by fire engine to the annual Guns and Hoses hockey game on Saturday (March 14), the celebratory sirens should help drown out some of the painful alarm bells she's plagued with every day. The eighth annual on-ice battle between firefighters and RCMP is dedicated to the brave girl, with all proceeds going to help Briana fight a rare neurological condition. Briana has been in constant pain in her arms and legs since August, but there are no visible wounds to treat. She is one of a growing number of people being diagnosed with a chronic pain condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Her brain's pain sensors are always flashing even though there is no physical injury and she goes through episodes of crushing or sharp pain that can last up to 24 hours."Sharp is the worst," she said quietly at her Valleycliffe home. "It's feels like a knife is going into my foot. That's one of the worst episodes I have."Briana couldn't walk and was at B.C. Children's Hospital for three months, said her mother Kathryn Butcher. "Within one week in August she went from a kid who was running and playing soccer to a wheelchair - unable to walk." Normal pressures on her limbs are exaggerated to the point where daily routines become unbearable. "For her it feels like her socks are crushing her foot," said Butcher. "So what feels normal to us, like normal tightness, feels like her foot is being broken or crushed."Because there is no cure for CRPS, treatment focuses on easing the pain and targeting remission. Briana currently travels to Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children in Vancouver twice a week for physiotherapy and consultation with a complex pain team. Briana has made improvements since being placed on medications and sticking with physiotherapy. She rose from her wheelchair eight weeks ago but still keeps crutches close at hand.Briana said the condition is very isolating. She can't play her favourite sports and sometimes can't attend her Grade 4 classes at Valleycliffe Elementary. Her family tries to keep her life as normal as possible by having friends come over for sleepovers and the like. But even sleeping is difficult let alone socializing, said Butcher."It's like trying to sleep with a car alarm on," she said, adding that Briana is on medications to restore her sleep cycle.Treatment expenses are as high as the hospital time. Her family spends $400 a month toward physiotherapy sessions and about $300 a month on medications. There is no blanket treatment because every CPRS patient differs. One of the major problems with Briana is that whenever she starts to feel better, she acts accordingly. So if her foot isn't burning as much as usual, she'll perhaps walk a bit more. But her body reacts poorly to what seems like progress because she's lost her core strength, said Butcher.But that's not stopping Briana from taking on her own fundraising campaign to brighten the lives of sick kids she's met at the hospital. She's trying to raise enough money to buy 100 Holi-Bears through the Starlight Children's Foundation. Each teddy bear comes with a certificate which allows the little owner to name a star. Briana's goal is to hand the bears out to kids in the neurology and oncology wards the first day she is pain-free."I just really felt like they need somebody to play with and they need their own wishes to come true," said Briana. "Mine's coming true slowly."She said knowing the community is rallying behind her through the Guns and Hoses hockey game makes her "feel really special and loved." Butcher said the whole family is uplifted by the event."The support and the concern from the community are huge just to help get up every day and keep going," said Butcher.Deputy Chief Steve Virgint said his club is fired up to take back bragging rights from the cops after last year's loss. "We're hopefully going to have some fun and raise some money for young Briana," he said. "It's pretty devastating for the family. They're trying to cope with it financially and emotionally and trying to make things better for their young girl. If we can help them out in any way we'll be happy."The puck drops at 7 p.m. on Friday (March 14) at Brennan Park Arena. Tickets cost a $2 minimum donation and there will be a puck toss game, 50/50 draws and a concession run by the Squamish Lion's Club.
