Our Story
The BiG story is inspired by Gracie Kiltz.
Born with Down Syndrome, Gracie blessed the world with her larger-than-life personality and radiant smile. She was diagnosed with Leukemia at just two years old, and, while in the hospital receiving treatment, she contracted a triple bacterial infection that went unnoticed. Gracie flatlined for 20 minutes, leaving her with a severe brain injury.
Feeling overwhelmed with their new reality, the Kiltz’s returned home unsure of what the future held for their family.
Erin and her two other children went to their backyard to check on the sunflower garden they had planted months earlier. Upon entering, they were surprised to see that their sunflower seeds had yielded a beautiful crop with each flower standing about five to six feet tall. There was one lone sunflower, however, that had grown a staggering twelve feet with a flower so large it was tilting down.
Erin felt God used this image to represent how Gracie would rise above her challenges that, at the time, seemed nearly impossible to overcome.
With the Lord by her side, Erin knew her daughter would excel and contribute to the world in remarkable ways. Later, Erin discovered that sunflowers can have seeds that lay dormant for years. When given the opportunity and right conditions, the seeds are able to grow and bloom into breathtaking flowers, thus, the Sunflower was the perfect symbol for Brookwood in Georgetown. BiG Citizens are similar to these seeds, and our nurturing environment – like sunlight on a dormant seed– can help them blossom into their full potential.