San Bernardino girl battling a rare brain disease gets a new wardrobe from Helpful Honda

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) — A brave young girl struggles with a rare brain disease and the medicine she needs has caused her to gain weight rapidly and her clothes to become unusable. But she and her family get support when they need it most.

6-year-old Brianna Bodley is like any other Southern California girl who loves the beach and is just a kid.

However, life recently took a devastating turn for her and her family when Brianna was diagnosed with Rasmussen’s encephalitis, a rare brain condition.

During treatment, her medication made her gain weight, so her old clothes no longer fit.

“She started on some steroids so she’s a little bit swollen. So she outgrew those, and I bought all the new sixes, and she’s growing back out of those, so let’s move on to sevens and eights,” explained Brianna’s mother, Crystal Bodley.

Faced with the burden of having to buy all their new clothes faster than most parents, the family asked for help.

That’s when the Helpful Honda folks stepped in and came to their home in San Bernardino for the big surprise: a whole new wardrobe for Brianna, including dresses, skirts and even pajama sets.

Brianna’s mum was also given a surprise to make everyday expenses like gas and groceries a little easier.

For Brianna, the way forward still poses medical challenges. In just a few months, she will undergo an operation that will cut off half of her brain.

Despite the adversity, Brianna appears to be in good spirits and her family is very grateful for all of this support.