Always Keep Fighting

In 12th grade, I was able to do an internship where I got to help out in a classroom for a certain amount of hours that semester.  I was placed in a second grade room.  That teacher was absolutely amazing and is one of the reasons I wanted to be a teacher even more after working with her.  In September 2009, she was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer.  I believe it was stage 3.  She was only about 46 years old.  Less than a year later, it was cured.  Then in June 2010, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  She was given 4 months to live.  Well over two years later, she is still alive.  She has been battling this horrible cancer for over three years!  Unfortunately, she has been in and out of teaching.  Instead of teaching second grade, she now teaches reading.  I don't think she has taught at all this year.  I think last year was a good year for her health-wise and she was able to teach a lot.  I even substitute taught for her a few times in 2010 while she was battling this.  It was an honor to come back and substitute teach for someone that was my first mentor in teaching.  About a week ago, this inspirational fighter found out that the brain tumor has grown into something that was even larger than what it was when they first discovered it in 2010.  She writes in an online journal like I do.  She doesn't write in it everyday though.  She has been too busy fighting, living life to the fullest, and focusing on the positive to write everyday.  Focusing on the positive has been her motto throughout this battle.  After reading her entry today, I fear that she doesn't have a lot of time left.  Although there is absolutely nothing positive about death, there are so many positive things that can be said about this person.  She has had a positive outlook on this every step of the way.  She could have easily given up.  She could have been dead three years ago.  Even before the cancer, she always had a smile on her face.  Cancer didn't change that.  She has fought hard, lived life to the absolute fullest, and has been an inspiration to thousands around the community.  I know that she will continue to fight this horrible disease until the day that it will unfortunately take her life.  Keep fighting Mrs. B.!  We are all praying for a miracle!