Tribute to an amazing girl

A young woman who spent all her short life dependent on oxygen bottles has been honoured by a company which produces oxygen.

Brittney Watty, who died in October 2012, spent all of her 18 years on oxygen due to to a congenital heart defect.

Last week Auckland-based company BOC opened a medical filing facility at its Penrose site and named it The Brittney Watty Centre.

The facility previously produced industrial and medical oxygen bottles in the same section of the plant, but now the medical requirements will be produced in the $5 million Brittney Watty Centre.

The centre was opened by the Minister of Health, Tony Ryall, and Brittney's family - mother Angela, father Jim, and big sister Kylie - on April 11.

Mrs Watty said Brittney's condition meant it was difficult for her body to make oxygen, so having oxygen bottles on hand was crucial.

"All our friends had oxygen bottles in their garages and they knew how to change a bottle over.

"She needed portable oxygen 24/7. Without it she would never have left the house."

Mrs Watty said oxygen bottles represented independence for her daughter.

"She was able to go to a movie, a school disco, a Stan Walker concert. For a while she was able to be a normal kid."

Although born and raised in Wellington, most of Brittney's extended family lives in Wanganui, and she considered it her second home.

"She loved to spend time at her nanas' place in Wanganui," Mrs Watty said.

Her grandmothers were Dot Watty and the late Pam Tuffin.

Mrs Watty said the family was "blown away" when they discovered BOC was interested in naming the new facility after Brittney.

"BOC hoped Brittney would be there to open it, but, unfortunately, she didn't make it.

"This centre is a tribute to an amazing girl," Mrs Watty said.