Be Well, Mrs. Blackwell!

What was meant to be a teacher’s relaxing summer vacation, turned into a horrible nightmare for one of my coworkers. Kristy Blackwell, a 34-year-old wife and mother of twin boys (age 4), suddenly had a seizure while on vacation in June. Shortly after, Kristy received a diagnosis of Stage 3 Oligodendroglioma (Brain Cancer). Surgeons removed the tumor, and just this week Kristy completed her 30 days of radiation. Amazingly enough, she never missed a day of preparing her classroom for the school year, teacher in-service/PD, open house night, and the first two weeks of classes with her fantastic 6th grade students. Her heart and dedication is something to be saluted. Anyone in or around the education field knows just how exhausting the first couple weeks of school are. Can you imagine that on top of trips to radiation treatment every evening? Not to mention the Supermom powers Kristy possesses to be able to keep up the pace with not one, but two toddler boys. To say that Kristy is an inspiration to me would be a major understatement. She has dedicated her life to teaching young children and spent countless hours finding ways to make learning enjoyable to every child that steps foot in her classroom. When she is teaching, she gives it her all! I have never met a more thoughtful and selfless person. On top of that, her hunger to make students better readers, writers, and effective members of society is a blessing to our Clark County community. It is truly remarkable how Kristy’s wisdom emits a passion for learning in all those around her. It was her hope to be able to continue to teach and inspire during the day and fight against cancer in the evenings for the school entire year. However, for the next nine months Kristy will have to solely focus on her battle against this dreadful disease. During this time, she will undergo chemo treatments and a strict dietary regiment. Due to the dietary restrictions and the effects the chemo could have on Kristy, she and her family will no longer be allowed to accept home cooked meals from friends and family, which they have appreciated so much these past few months. Our family at Baker Intermediate School started a campaign, “Be Well, Mrs. Blackwell”, and felt this GoFundMe page would be a great way to allow others to help Kristy, Ben, Seth, and Evan through the next several months financially and emotionally. With funds earned, Ben and Kristy can travel to and from treatments, provide for childcare when needed, buy for her dietary needs, and focus less on financial burdens and more on health and healing. Please help this wonderful teacher and her family over this hurdle. Kristy has so much more life to live and so much more knowledge to give. There is no doubt that she can tackle this cancer with help from her wonderful friends and family. Please consider donating and share if you can! Any and all donations are appreciated greatly. Thank you in advance :)