Saying goodbye to Delcambre’s biggest fan

DELCAMBRE — People from the town of Delcambre said their goodbyes this past week to the biggest fan of Delcambre High School.
That honor belonged to Brittney Jaide Migues, 37, who died after a short illness. Known as “BJ” to the town of Delcambre, Migues spent most of her life in a wheelchair. She was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at the age of one. But that never slowed her down.
Her mom, Sandy, remembers Brittney telling her in grade school that she was not handicap. She “just could not walk.”
That is how she treated her life. She never let the wheelchair slow her down. With the help of her parents, Sandy and Benny, Brittney was at every Delcambre sporting event. At the football games, her family sat west of the stadium near the scoreboard.
At basketball games, she sat to the right when you walked onto the court. She wore her orange and black proudly.
For baseball and softball games, she helped keep the scorebook.
This past Friday, the Migues family attended a Delcambre football game for the first time without Brittney. They had just buried their daughter that Tuesday. Despite the pain, they attended and were overwhelmed with what had taken place.
A group of seniors set up an orange chair with the balloons “B” and “J” tied where Brittney would generally sit for football games. Before the game, a line of DHS senior football player, managers and cheerleaders stood in a straight line and walked up the chair and placed an orange rose on the chair.
In honor of their most loyal fan, a white cross with the initials “BJ” was painted in the end zone.
“It was awesome,” said Sandy on Sunday night. “We sat and watched as everyone dropped a rose. It was beautiful.”
Delcambre head football coach Artie Liuzza was proud of DHS for honoring Brittney.
“I thought it was incredible,” said Liuzza. “This is what the Delcambre community is all about. I am proud of the kids and the community.”
Delcambre Principal Chantel Helms said the DHS students thought of Brittney as a “big sister.”
“I really do not think the student athletes thought of her as a classmate,” said Helms. “I think they thought of her as a big sister. One that was always there to support her little brothers and sisters at every sports event.”
Helms said Brittney did not mind stating what the coaches should be calling or what skill the players were lacking or what position they should be playing.
“We all took that with love, the same love that she had for the Delcambre Panthers,” said Helms.
For the funeral, Delcambre students wore orange shirts and lined the sidewalk and inside the church as Brittney and her family made their way to the front of the church. She was buried in an orange t-shirt with the number 70528 (the town of Delcambre’s zip code) on the chest.
Sandy said the Delcambre community, including the school, have been overwhelming with support.
Brittney did not let a wheelchair slow her down. She loved going to concerts, the beach, and other sporting events and eating out with friends and family.
Before she passed away, the school had planned to name Brittney the grand marshal of the homecoming parade. Despite her death, the school will honor Brittney as the grand marshal, with a float that will be filled with family members.
This Tuesday will mark the first week of Brittney’s funeral. During that time, the Migues family realizes how much Brittney did and how much she was a massive part of the family. She helped pay the family bills online and organized trips and events.
They just spent their first painful week without the daughter.
“It has been empty,” said her mom. “We are lost. She did everything for us.”
Looking back, Brittney was not expected to live past 10 years old after being diagnosed with Werdnig Hoffman Disease, a type of Muscular Dystrophy. But, somehow, she beat the odds and lived life to its fullest for 37 years.
The Migues dedicated their life to raising their only child. And based on the support the community of Delcambre paid homage to her, it looks like they did a great job. Now seven days after burying her, the Migues realize that Brittney made their life complete.
“Without her, our lives may not have been complete. She made our lives through her life. We are going to miss her so much.”