Aubrey Barnett: Inspirational Warrior

Walnut Grove senior a shining light of courage for all who know her

Walnut Grove senior

When 17-year-old Aubrey Barnett stepped onto the campus of Walnut Grove High School on Aug. 1 at the start of the 2024/2025 school year, she had no idea just how different this year was going to be for her. It was her senior year and the Walton County student approached it with all the excitement you would expect from a senior about to complete her final year of high school and begin making plans for her future.

But the diagnosis she got in late summer changed everything.

After finding a lump in her neck in August that wouldn’t go away, eventually impacting her shoulder and arm, Aubrey’s family made the necessary doctor’s appointments to get to the bottom of it. And the results were not what they had hoped for. On Sept. 16, they got the results. Aubrey was diagnosed with Burkitt Lymphoma, an aggressive form of cancer that was going to require very aggressive treatment.

“In fact, the treatment was so aggressive that we were told that my husband and I would not have been able to deal with it,” said Aubrey’s mother, Chauncey Barnett. But Aubrey faced it with the strength and character that she is known for – and her positive attitude. ”She has always been very positive and I believe that made a huge difference.”

The fact that she was a multi-sport athlete and in peak health otherwise, also counted in Aubrey’s favor, but it was still a daunting experience that required multiple hospital stays to undergo aggressive chemotherapy. Her mother said that watching her daughter go through that was the hardest part.

“Absolutely,” she said, adding she would rather have gone through it herself. While getting the diagnosis itself was traumatic, Chauncey said that it was a relief to hear from the medical specialist that there was a 99 % chance of a complete cure.

Aubrey herself handled it all with the same positive spirit she shows in everything she does. Even when she lost her beautiful mane of hair, Aubrey went on her social media to explain why she was bald in a very matter of fact way that can only serve as an inspiration for anybody going through a similar experience. She was even able to have fun with it in some of her Instagram postings.

“I just couldn’t be negative or upset about it all the time,” Aubrey says about the way she handled the whole experience, hard as it obviously was. “I missed being at school and taking part in all the activities but I had a lot of support from everybody – my family, my friends and the nurses and doctors at CHOA (Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta where Aubrey went for her treatments). They were so patient and so kind.”

Aubrey said she had to undergo the aggressive chemo treatments because the location of the cancer made it impossible to remove everything with surgery due to its proximity to other vital organs.

However, while Aubrey was away getting treatment and missing many of those activities, she was not forgotten or left out of any of them. She was crowned Homecoming Queen in her absence and her brothers, Peyton and Chase, attended the coronation on her behalf with a life-sized cutout of their sister. She also was named Walnut Grove Warrior Athlete of the month in October as she was undergoing treatment. In the award it was noted that she is a “multi-sport athlete who embodies strength and resilience. Despite facing challenges, Aubrey continued to show up for her teammates in both cheer and cross-country, while balancing school, a part-time job, and mentoring a middle school runner. Her selflessness, kindness, and true warrior spirit inspire us all.” Her former coach added, “Aubrey has always been the brightest light in any room, lighting up our lives with her infectious smile, boundless energy, and unwavering kindness. We know her strength and spirit are even greater.”

That strength and spirit was again obvious over Thanksgiving for the talented cross country runner. Aubrey got home from the hospital at 10 p.m. on Wednesday evening after being in for her final 2-day chemo treatment. The following morning, Thanksgiving Day, she ran in the 5K Turkey Trot through downtown Monroe.

And that’s not all. This week she is headed to Columbus, Ga. for the Dec. 5 Game Day Cheerleading State Championship in the Columbus Civic Center with the rest of her team.

“I was able to get a week to catch up on the routine and I will be joining my team on Wednesday to go to state,” Aubrey said.

Dec. 16 is the day when they will get the final results of how successful the treatment has been and the Barnett family expect and hope it will be the all clear that the cancer has been defeated. And while it was not easy to endure what she had to during these last few months, Aubrey has come out of it with something positive that is likely to have an impact on the rest of her life.

“I was so impressed with the staff at CHOA that I have decided that is what I want to do when I finish school,” Aubrey said. “I want to go into medical pediatrics and I want to work at CHOA.”

A GoFundMe was started by Aubrey’s brother, Peyton, to help the family cope with the costs outside of those covered by medical insurance as well as trips to and from the hospital and the cost of additional support services. The GoFundMe can be accessed at this link.