By Dawn Brazell
Public Relations

Fairy tales sometimes still do happen. Four-year-old Brianna Causey got to find that out Dec. 9 at the MUSC Holiday Parade.

Cinderella presents Brianna Causey with a yellow rose before they take their carriage ride.

Experiencing a pageantry fit for a princess, Brianna navigated hospital hallways in her light- up slippers to meet up with Cinderella and catch a carriage ride in the parade.

Brianna's grandmother, Nancy Moore, enjoys the padgeantry.

Her grandmother, Nancy Moore, held her pink princess blanket and watched from the sidelines. She said she was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for her family. Her husband, Jeff, is being treated at Hollings Cancer Center for renal cell carcinoma and her daughter, Tiffany Causey, 28, has leukemia and underwent a bone marrow transplant Aug. 18.

"She did great at first and then all of a sudden, she took a turn for the worse." Her daughter wanted to take Brianna to Disney World because she's all into the princess stuff, but she's not up for the trip. When Tiffany's nurse learned of Brianna's interest, she passed it along to the hospital's Angel Tree board.

It started a magical cascade of support.

Employees, Lori Stivers and Cindy Kramer, right, enjoy the magic.

MUSC employee Lori Stivers in Ambulatory Care read the email, and knew what she had to do. Stivers lost her mother at age 5 and still can remember the wonderful things that people did for her at that time. She decided she wanted Brianna to have her own authentic Cinderella costume so she contacted Disney officials and had them FedEx the whole princess ensemble to Myrtle Beach, where she bought the outfit as well as a Cinderella Barbie.

Even though it was stormy weather, Stivers was not to be deterred. "I cried all the way to Myrtle Beach and back. I'm so excited. It's what the season is all about. It really touched my heart. She needed to have the real deal."

The real deal included a Cinderella to ride with her.

Enter stage right, Cindy Kramer, R.N., a blood and marrow transplant coordinator, who was blonde and taller than 5-foot-seven, the height needed for a Hokus Pokus costume that was being donated for the occasion. Kramer then found herself booked for a donated "updo" Cinderella hairstyle at Strawberry Blonde Salon and a professional makeup job by skin therapist Joanna Robbs.

Cindy Kramer gets a Cinderella updo from stylist Jessica Cantey.

Her stylist, Jessica Cantey, didn't have to Google the Cinderella hairdo to know how to style Kramer's hair. "When I was young, for three years that's all I had in my movie player," she said, grinning, thrilled to be able to help out for the occasion.

Other businesses joined in to create the magic. Tiger Lily Florist donated two dozen yellow roses and Old Towne Carriage Company charmed crowds with a delicate white princess carriage.

Kramer, who has a 3-year-old daughter who loves princesses, said she was excited to play the part and even watched the movie again the night before the ride to make sure she had all her princess moves right. Before she knew it, she had several other appearances for the afternoon requested by patients who are immunosuppressed and unable to leave their rooms.

The two Cinderellas take a private moment before they take their carriage ride.

Loving her job as a transplant nurse, Kramer said the nurses really get to know the families because it takes a whole family bonding together to get patients through such a tough time. "We're there to help them have an opportunity to find a cure to the end. We support them through the good times and the bad."

Moore said she's so thankful for the support. Her daughter found out she was pregnant with Brianna a month after her diagnosis with leukemia in 2007. She and her husband had been trying to have a family, but hadn't been able to. Doctors described the risks, but Tiffany opted to go forward with the pregnancy, reducing some of her cancer drugs until the end of her pregnancy. She resumed her treatment full force after her daughter was born and is putting up a tough battle, said Moore.

"She is the strongest person. She has had so much faith from the very beginning. She's fighting with all her might." Her seven-year wedding anniversary was Dec. 11.

"It's been the hardest thing of my life. I'm trying to be strong." She has taken a leave of absence from her work, and is grateful to be next door to her daughter's family in Loris, near Myrtle Beach. Her daughter watched Brianna in the parade through an iPad Live program. Meanwhile, Moore and Brianna's father raced along with the carriage.

"I know it's making Tiffany happy to know her little princess is doing well."