CLEMSON, S.C. – It may have been two years since the Clemson Family lost Brittany Burns after a short but hard-fought battle with ovarian cancer, but that does not mean that her legacy stopped living on.
A member of the class of 2012, Burns was a four-time letterwinner for the rowing team from 2008-12. She primarily rowed the bow seat in her time on the team and was a part of the 4th Varsity 8 team that beat No. 12 Michigan and No. 7 Ohio State in the 2011 ACC/Big Ten Challenge. She was also the fiancée of former Clemson football player Tony Steward. After being diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer on Dec. 9, 2015, Burns and Steward founded “Britt and Tony’s Fight Like a Girl” campaign to develop a charity devoted to providing support to other women battling ovarian cancer.
Since its inception, the “Fight Like Britt” initiative has only expanded, with its mission being to inform and educate one million women on the symptoms of ovarian cancer and save at least one woman’s life through education. Other schools have joined in to raise awareness—the University of Maine’s swimming and diving teams have partnered with “Fight Like Britt” to help promote awareness, as have other teams from the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Boston College and the University of Delaware.
As have three rowing teams who participated in this past weekend’s Clemson Invitational in Clemson, Duke University and the University of Central Florida. They rowed for Britt and stand with her loved ones in ensuring that Britt’s story and message reaches those one million women.
To join the fight, visit https://www.crowdrise.com/brittandtonysfightli.
