Schools
Class of 2013: North Senior Overcomes Bone Disease
Brielle Ellis is studying at UW-Madison next fall on a full scholarship.
The last time Brielle Ellis broke a bone, she was in fourth grade gym class.
“I broke my thigh,” Brielle said. “We were pole vaulting. I went up the first time, and nothing happened, so I went up to the next level. When I went over it, I turned and my leg flipped backward.”
It was the fifth bone she had broken, she recalled. Her first bone to break was her leg when she was 4 years old.
The doctors told her that she had Osteogensis Imperfecta, also known as “brittle bone disease,” a debilitating disease that can cause bones to break at any moment.
But despite her gym class injury and available options to take a modified gym class during her time at Waukesha North High School, she still chose to take the regular physical education course.
“I just knew what I should and shouldn’t do,” Brielle said. “I wanted to try something new. I wanted to see what I could do and what I couldn’t in a high class.”
Michael Stoneall praised Brielle for her ability to work past the challenges in her life as she’s finishes high school this week.
“She has been a trooper for the past four years,” Stoneall said. “She has had a number of other health concerns, but she has been so resilient and persevered in terms of coming through, getting her work done, doing what is necessary. When I look at my seniors who have stood above and beyond the pack, Brielle has always stood out for me because she has always had a very positive active. … There have been a lot of hardships for her, and she has weathered the storm and come through it. I predict really good things ahead for her.”
Brielle, 18, is graduating Saturday from Waukesha North. While her favorite classes at North have been English and she is writing a fantasy novel, she has different plans next fall. She is attending UW-Madison on a full scholarship she received by participating through the PEOPLE Program on the campus.
She plans to study pre-law and psychology at UW-Madison before furthering her education to become a lawyer and eventually a judge.
“Sometimes people who shouldn’t go free are free, and I don’t think that is fair,” Brielle said. “I just wanted to be able to determine right from wrong.”
Meanwhile, as Brielle says farewell to her high school years, she will miss her teachers at Waukesha North.
“I’ve grown close to most of the teachers here,” Brielle said.
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