The Fight Like Britt Foundation was started by Brittney Burns in 2015 when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Brittney was an All-American swimmer in high school and became a Division 1 Rower at Clemson University. Her goal for the foundation was to make men and women aware of the symptoms linked with ovarian cancer. She strived to spread her message to 1 million people; this goal has been tremendously surpassed and Brittney’s foundation has touched more than 2 million people. Currently, Brittney’s sister, Zi Burns, is a senior at ODA and the Head of Outreach for the Foundation.

Zi is in charge of organizing all of the shoelaces and ovarian cancer symptom cards that the Foundation gifted to high schools and universities across the country: Clemson University, the University of Central Florida, and ODA to name a few. Zi’s goal for the foundation at ODA and the world is to, “have people become more educated about the Ovarian Cancer symptoms so they can translate that knowledge and share it with love ones so people can stop the possible spread in a much quicker manner.” Additionally, Zi touched on the fact that even though ODA’s upper school students are only teenagers, “a majority of them have mothers, aunts, and grandmothers that may one day have these symptoms and they might be able to save a life.” The shoelaces are in teal, the color that signifies ovarian cancer. All of the upper school students, faculty, and staff wore those teal laces on September 23rd, 2021, to show support for people that are affected by ovarian cancer. Zi and her family feel “proud that a majority of ODA wanted to share the foundations’ message Brittney strived to share.”