Brittney Breanne Cohn

Brittney was born in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday the 13th at 9:06 p.m. As I labored and she took her time arriving, the doctor joked that she must be destined for the stage. To the world, it may have been Friday the 13th. To me, it was the day my life changed forever — the day I became her mother. From her very first breath, Brittney carried a presence. She felt big. She loved even bigger.

I was just 18 years old when Brittney was born. In so many ways, we grew up together. She was my first love and the love of my life — my heart and my soul. I was not a perfect mother, and I made mistakes along the way, but what I did do was love her more than I loved myself. I would have done — and I tried to do — everything I could for her.

Brittney was a light from the very beginning. She was never drawn to dolls or traditional toys. Instead, she was drawn to music, movement, and performance. She would spend hours in front of the mirror, shaking her little booty and singing “My Humps” by The Black Eyed Peas — her absolute favorite song — performing as though she already belonged on a stage.

At just three years old, while most children were watching Disney movies, Brittney was completely captivated by Dirty Dancing. She studied the choreography until she knew every move by heart. Patrick Swayze became her first dance teacher, her very first crush, and forever her favorite leading man. She was genuinely devastated when he passed away. True to form, she didn’t just learn the dances — she decided it was her responsibility to teach them, proudly attempting to share the choreography with her day care class, which resulted in a memorable phone call home.

That fearless little girl who turned mirrors into stages carried that same bold spirit throughout her life. Even then, you could see the light in her — bright, unapologetic, and impossible to ignore.

As Brittney entered her teenage years, she yearned to be accepted and to feel that she belonged. In those tender and formative years, her open heart and trusting nature were not always met with the kindness she deserved. Some took advantage of the very light that made her so special.

In her search for connection and comfort, she was introduced to influences that led her down a difficult path. What began as trying to cope slowly became a battle she would fight for the remainder of her all-too-short life. Addiction is a powerful and unrelenting disease. It does not discriminate, and it does not measure a person’s worth. Despite the love that surrounded her, it gradually dimmed the bright spirit we all knew so well.

If Brittney’s story can teach us anything, let it be this: look closer, listen longer, and love louder. Check on the ones who seem strong. Extend grace to those who are struggling. And never underestimate the power of acceptance, compassion, and early intervention.

And yet, even in her hardest seasons, Brittney was still Brittney. She was still laughter. She was still music. She was still pink and sparkles and a heart that longed deeply to be loved.

Those who knew her will remember her infectious, over-the-top laugh — the kind that made everyone else laugh too. They will remember her bold spirit and the way she could light up a room simply by being in it. Brittney was also, quite literally, the clumsiest human on the planet — a trait she proudly inherited from her mom. She never met an invisible curb she didn’t trip over, somehow turning even a stumble into a story worth laughing about. She loved to eat, to be silly, and to be surrounded by people. She never wanted anyone to feel alone because she understood deeply what that felt like.

Brittney leaves behind her mother, Tiffany Kokkeler; stepfather, Jason Kokkeler; father, Michael Higgins; sisters, Jayden Kokkeler, Amilyanna, and Audrina; brothers, Michael, Bryant, and Mason; grandmothers, Cindy and Sheryl; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends who will forever carry her memory in their hearts.

Funeral services will be held at Phoenix Memorial Park and Mortuary on February 24th. A private service for immediate family will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., followed by public visitation and reception from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., with funeral services from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

From the moment I became her mom, my heart walked outside my body. That has never changed, and it never will. She made me a mother. She made me who I am. She was my first love and the love of my life.

She entered this world taking her time, already making a grand entrance. She left it far too soon. But I will always see her as that little girl in front of the mirror — fearless, dancing, alive.

I was blessed to be her mom, and I will love her beyond this lifetime. She will forever be my baby girl.