But as she felt herself unraveling, that's when her community came together.
"I am grateful to God to be here, to be home, to be safe and to be alive," Britt-Johnson said.
Britt-Johnson shared an embrace among a group, she says, helped save her life.
The south suburban woman finally back home after being stranded in Jamaica for days without the critical kidney transplant medications she needed.
"I have strong faith, but my faith had begun to wane. I was scared for my life," Britt-Johnson said.
Hurricane Melissa had shut down airports, leaving a wake of destruction in her path.
The couple's resort was badly damaged, leaving them without electricity or water. Britt-Johnson says she ended up in the back of Jamaican ambulance, traveling to three hospitals to find the right medication to no avail.
"My blood pressure was around 217, over 100 and something. Anybody normal would either have be having a stroke or in a coma," Britt-Johnson said.
Britt-Johnson, the chief of staff for Rich Township, reached out for help within her community, who took it a step further.
"This was about humanity. This was about saving a life and we were in a race for time," said 5th District Cook County Commissioner Dr. Kisha McCaskill.
McCaskill was among several local and community leaders who reached out to members of Congress and the State Department. Their goal was to, first, get life-saving medication to Britt-Johnson and later, plead with the federal government and the president to bring her home.
"This is about community. This is about standing up for your fellow man. And this is about just thinking if you were in this person's shoes, would you want people to make the same efforts to bring you home to your family, to your loved ones?" McCaskill.
Britt-Johnson says she has been overwhelmed by the support of those surrounding her and those she's never met but surely will never forget.
"It was just having people pray and talk to me and just keep trying to, for help me understand that God bless me enough with this kidney that he's going to bless me enough to hang on to this kidney," Britt-Johnson said.
Britt-Johnson will still need undergo more testing on Monday, but she says has since regained her strength after receiving that life-saving treatment, in big thanks to the community who welcomed her back on Sunday.