Paige Sechler

Paige Sechler has been an English teacher in the Reading School District for over 20 years. In addition to being extremely dedicated to her students, she also serves as the head of the English Department; she is the Poetry Out Loud Facilitator and advisor for National Honor Society. Paige is a graduate of the University of Hartford where she was a three year letter recipient playing D1 basketball, and a member of the all-academic team. Paige is a graduate of Kutztown Area High School Class of ‘92 where she was captain of the girls’ basketball team and scored 1612 points over 4 years. Paige’s achievements in basketball were recognized in 2018 when she was inducted into the Reading Berks County Basketball Hall of Fame, where she was later joined by her father in 2022.

Paige and her wife, Zoe, live in the Reading area with their two dogs, Simon and Rigby. In her free time, she loves to play board games and work on puzzles. She is a huge fan of The Beatles, the WNBA , Seinfeld, The Office, and Parks & Rec.

Paige’s Story:

Paige has been an active, healthy person throughout her life. Up until recently, Paige was exercising daily and eating a mostly plant based diet.

Throughout the past month, Paige has not been feeling well, battling fatigue, exhaustion and not feeling like her normal self. After family doctor visits and several tests, it was recommended on Sunday, July 10th, that she go to the Reading Hospital ER for more comprehensive testing. Doctors at Reading Hospital were quickly concerned with several of the test results and she was immediately transferred to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. At Jefferson, she received kidney dialysis, several blood transfusions and doctors ran an array of invasive tests, trying to determine exactly what was going on. On Friday, July 15th, doctors diagnosed Paige with Stage 4 Burkitt's Lymphoma and immediately began aggressive cancer treatments, beginning with chemotherapy.

Due to her diagnosis, Paige will need to take medical leave from her job as an inspirational high school English teacher in the Reading School District to focus on her medical care. Her wife, Zoe, will also be taking a leave of absence from her job as a high school Art teacher (also in the Reading School District) to help care for Paige and support her through her treatments. Over the next few months, she will be living between Thomas Jefferson and her home in Berks County. She will continue to receive aggressive cancer treatments, including spinal tap and port chemotherapy, bloodwork in order to monitor the cancer, and physical therapy to regain her stamina. Much of her treatment will need to take place at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia and will require extended stays, possibly for several weeks at a time.

We are kindly asking for your support, as Paige and Zoe will be unable to work for the next few months in order to focus on Paige’s treatment and care. If you are so inclined, please consider donating to the Go Fund Me set up specifically for Paige and Zoe to help offset some of the medical, travel, and other unforeseen costs that are sure to accrue.

Thank you for your support, love, and positivity.

Sincerely,

FRIENDS OF PAIGE AND ZOE