MISD Football Coach Keeps Hope as Cancer Returns

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Fear, anger and everything in between describe the feelings Daniel Maberry experienced during the past several months.

The emotional journey began in January when the Mansfield High School head football coach went to the doctor after experiencing a burning sensation in his legs and arms. He said he figured the doctor would simply prescribe him something for the pain but was stunned at the diagnosis.

“They did all sorts of tests. They did a bone marrow biopsy, and that’s when they discovered cancer,” he explained.

Maberry said it was difficult telling his family and his football team about his late-stage lymphoma, but he wanted his message to be that he will keep strong and keep on fighting.

After rounds of chemotherapy and before the start of the football season, the doctors told him that his cancer was in remission. He said the cancer was no longer in his marrow and was not visible in tests, but something didn’t feel right.

His uneasy feeling was confirmed five weeks into the football season. The coach noticed a lump on his side and checked into the emergency room. Through a CT scan, doctors found a two-inch cancer mass.

“Cancer a lot of times takes so much away from you,” he recalled about the cancer returning. “I wasn’t able to be at football games. I wasn’t able to be around the kids at school. I’m not able, necessarily, to play with my girls like I want to. So from that aspect, anger was probably the emotion that I dealt with the most; but at the same time, I’ve had a peace about it.”

Lime green and "Maberry Strong" gear popped up throughout
the community after news of Maberry's diagnosis.

The treatment for Maberry’s cancer is more aggressive this time around because doctors want to ensure that the cancer cells die. During his scheduled treatments, he carries around a backpack filled with chemotherapy medication that feeds steady doses of the medicine into his body.

The husband and father of two explained that he has good days and bad days. On the harder days, he said he tries to keep the right perspective on life and finds strength through his faith and the overwhelming community support.

“Seeing the community pep rallies, seeing the kids here and how they’ve responded—the green outs, the video that they made for me—was unbelievable,” he expressed as he fought back tears. “I’ve cried so many tears through this entire time, and it’s not for sadness. It’s for extreme joy of what these people have done for me.”

Maberry also noted that the district’s Colors for Caring initiative, in which the community is encouraged to wear cancer awareness colors to support a loved one, has also impacted his life because it lifts his spirit to see his school saturated with lime green to bring awareness to lymphoma.

The hashtag #MaberryStrong is also used on social media to highlight the different community support efforts.

“One of the biggest struggles that I had through this journey is, ‘How do I thank everybody for what they’ve done for me?’ I don’t think I can. I don’t think I could ever thank the community for what they’ve done for me mentally, spiritually, just being there for me and my family—I know I’m deeply blessed because of this community. And I’m very grateful for them.”

The coach said he doesn’t know what the future holds for him, but he is optimistic and continues to take life one day at a time.

“I know what I have is very serious. I know what I have is life-threatening, but I can’t live my life in fear every day.”

Teacher Recently Diagnosed with Breast Cancer Finds Strength in Colors for Caring

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June 11, 2018 is a day that will be forever etched into DeAnna Garner’s memory. Along with her wedding planning, closing on a new house and enjoying the summer, she received devastating news from her doctor.

“I have triple negative breast cancer, and then it’s also in my lymph nodes, so I’m stage three,” explained the Martha Reid Leadership Academy art teacher. “It makes you feel kind of like poisoned or something. I wanted it out of me.”

Garner said breaking the news to her kids was probably the hardest part. She said it was also hard reliving the moment of her diagnosis with each person she told.

The mother of four began chemotherapy in the summertime, and shaved her head beforehand due to the hair loss it causes.

Garner (center) and her coworkers sport one of the shirts
that was made in her honor.

She was worried about how to introduce herself to her new students with her new look, so she turned to her best coping mechanism—humor.

“I wore a shirt that said, ‘Does this shirt make Ms. Dee’s head look bald?’” Garner said with a chuckle. “That’s how I want them to know that it’s okay.”

Apart from comedic relief and her strong faith, Garner noted that the love she receives from her school has been tremendous on her road to recovery. She said there have been fundraisers, shirts, gifts and an outpouring of kind words that have helped her make it through tough times.

The teacher also said Mansfield ISD’s Colors for Caring monthly initiative, which encourages the community to wear cancer awareness colors to show support for a loved one affected by cancer, took on a whole new meaning for her.

“I think Colors for Caring is amazing because coming to school on a day when people were wearing pink for me…it does make you feel better,” Garner added. “I think it’s really good.”

Garner underwent her most recent chemotherapy on Sept. 20. She has a few more rounds of chemotherapy to go before she undergoes surgery.

She hopes to transition from cancer patient to cancer survivor by August 2019. Learn more about MISD's Colors for Caring days here.

Cancer Survivor Rallies Behind Diagnosed Staff Member

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At the age of 28, Tracy Johnson received a call that changed the way she views life.

The doctor called her at the school in which she taught to tell her that she had colon cancer. Her principal at the time was Donna Shepard, a Mansfield ISD school namesake who was also battling cancer.

“She grabbed me and hugged me and said, ‘I am here. I will be with you. You’re strong. You will be fine,’” recalled Johnson, who is now principal of J.L. Boren Elementary School. “To this day, that has meant so much to me.”

Johnson said that since she has been principal of Boren Elementary, a few of her staff members have been diagnosed with cancer. She said she feels it is her calling to rally behind them and encourage them along the way.

“I think there was a great plan for me to be here, and I’m able to share my experience to help others,” she continued.

Carney received gifts from her music students
after news of her diagnosis.

Recently, the school’s music teacher, Katie Carney, was diagnosed with breast cancer. The principal said it has been amazing to see how the staff members and community have come together to support her.

Being able to show an outpouring of love to those battling cancer is one of the reasons why Mansfield ISD’s Colors for Caring initiative is near and dear to Johnson's heart. The initiative encourages the community to wear cancer awareness colors on the first Monday of each school month.

“People always want to be helpful in a way, and they don’t know how,” Johnson said. “This is one easy way we can stand for others and be strong. It’s nice to know that we’re all a community working together to stand for each other.”

The Colors for Caring initiative began in 2015 after Superintendent Dr. Jim Vaszauskas was diagnosed with thymoma cancer. He was grateful for the support he received and wanted to continue to spread the love to others.

The last Colors for Caring Day of the 2017-18 school year is on May 7. Johnson said her campus will be wearing a shirt with a pink cancer ribbon made of music notes for Carney.

Teen Leadership Students Help Girls Battling Cancer

For the past two years, Mansfield ISD has been encouraging the community to take part in Colors for Caring. The initiative, started by Superintendent Dr. Jim Vaszauskas, is celebrated on the first Monday of every month in honor of those who have been affected or have had loved ones affected by cancer.

Summit High School seniors Elliot Adway, Lauren Blue, Dacion Tatum and Cierra Lockhart have taken part in many of the Colors for Caring days, but knew they could do more when they were given a special project for their Teen Leadership II class.

The students were asked to find a passion and come together to help a cause. The only stipulation on the project was it could not be a traditional money fundraiser. Senior Lauren Blue knew she wanted to do something to help children.

"In Teen Leadership II, Mrs. Cullen asked all of us to research non-profit organizations and see how we could meet their need. I was researching and I found Bow Dazzling," she said about how the group project started. "I thought it was the neatest one so I asked the members in my group if they wanted to do that one also they said yes."

Lauren and her group have reached out to each middle and high school campus' cheer sponsor in hopes of getting their programs involved in this project.

Their plan is for each middle and high school to have posters about the bow and ribbon drive displayed throughout the various campuses with information about how to get involved. Each campus will have a basket in their cheerleading room for students to drop off donated bows and ribbons.

Lauren understands the potential impact this project could have for the young girls involved.

"Helping little girls with cancer makes me feel amazing! Knowing that I can help someone going through something ten times harder than my life means the world to me."

Bows for Beauties is districtwide service project that is accepting new/unused bows that will be going to young girls of all ages. For more information on how you can contribute to this project, contact Cierra Lockhart (Cierra.lockhart17@gmail.com) or Lauren Blue (live4ballblue@sbcglobal.net)

For information and a photo gallery of MISD’s Colors for Caring Days, visit the district’s website.

Senior Describes Father’s Fight with Stage 4 Lung Cancer

Nguyen said photography is his outlet, and
he plans on becoming a nurse.

Nam Nguyen has had his share of challenges. He moved to the United States from Vietnam when he was in the eighth grade and encountered a major culture shock. He said he had trouble fitting in and had to learn how to be comfortable in his own skin.

When he transferred into Mansfield ISD, Nguyen said everything was going well. Now that he’s a senior, he has a set routine of going to school during the day and earning college credits at night. But he said the news he received earlier this year nearly sent him on a downward spiral.

“In May, my dad started coughing so much,” said the 12th grader at The Phoenix Academy. “He went to doctors, and they kept giving him allergy medicine, but it kept getting worse.”

His dad underwent scans and blood tests to determine what was wrong. He was later diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in August 2016.

“I was so depressed,” Nguyen recalls. “He’s my only family here. Without him, I’m alone. I was shocked because he’s a non-smoker.”

Nguyen remembers spending two weeks at home grieving and crying. His dad eventually told him that being sad isn’t going to change anything, and that’s when the senior’s perspective changed.

Nguyen said he has five posters filled with well wishes for his father.

“I have to stay positive so that my dad’s positive throughout his chemo. My friends really helped me out during this hard time. Now, I see that I’m very fortunate for a lot of things in life, like a bright future and my career opportunities.”

Through his own experience, Nguyen said he realized how necessary MISD’s Colors for Caring initiative is. On the designated days, he said he will be wearing colors in honor of his dad.

“I’m also making a poster collage for him. A lot of people have already signed it,” he said. “It will mean a lot to him to see that others care about him. That’s why I know that Colors for Caring is helping other people feel that they’re not going through this alone.”

For information and a photo gallery of MISD’s Colors for Caring Days, visit the district’s website.

MISD Teacher Shares His Battle with Leukemia

Ray Riley said he chooses to see the positive in life.

Cancer is not an easy topic to discuss for some, but for one T.A. Howard Middle School teacher, he hopes his story can encourage others.

“I can’t help someone else holding on to my testimony,” said Ray Riley.

The eighth grade English teacher vividly remembers the details surrounding the time he first discovered he had cancer. It was the first week of October 2015. He was at his home and felt a sharp throbbing pain in his arm. No medication eased the discomfort, but it eventually went away.

On October 16, Riley felt the same excruciating pain. This time, it was in his right arm. He went to work anyways, but the school nurse told him that he had high blood pressure and needed to seek medical attention immediately.

After some tests, a doctor told him that his white blood cell count was high. He was then diagnosed with leukemia, although he showed no obvious symptoms. Riley was in disbelief. This was not the news he was wanting to hear as a soon-to-be father.

“I cried for a little bit, but you have to move on,” Riley recalled. “Life is not the way you always plan it. When things don’t go your way, you have to adjust.”

Riley has to take a chemotherapy pill for the rest of his life, but said he is blessed to have caught the leukemia in its early treatable stages. Now, Mansfield ISD’s Colors for Caring Days have a whole new meaning for him.

“I see the students and staff here at Howard wear orange to support me with my leukemia, and it means a lot,” he said. “You never know what anyone else is going through, and it really hits home when it happens to you.”

Through it all, Riley has kept his fighting spirit and has a message for others who might be in the same situation.

“Stay positive and don’t give up,” Riley continued. “Don’t have a pity party because you’re allowing the disease to win.”

MISD Teacher Shares Story of Fighting Breast Cancer While Pregnant

Janie Woolsey back in the classroom after delivering
a healthy baby boy in May 2015.

Within the span of one year, third grade teacher Janie Woolsey experienced three life-changing events: the death of a child, a diagnosis of breast cancer, and the birth of her son.

“I’ve always heard that God won’t give you more than you can handle. Apparently, He thinks that I can handle quite a bit,” said the Willie Brown Elementary School teacher with a chuckle.

Woolsey’s 12-year-old daughter died suddenly of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) in July 2014. She said she wanted to have another child so that her son would have a sibling, so she became pregnant two months later.

In the sixth month of her pregnancy, she detected signs of breast cancer. Her suspicions were confirmed after a series of medical exams.

Woolsey keeping a cheerful attitude
while undergoing her chemo treatments.

“I was so scared,” Woolsey recalls. “I didn’t know what to do and how the cancer would affect the baby.”

Woolsey started her rounds of chemotherapy. She took a break from the treatments to give birth to a healthy baby boy, and then resumed the treatments afterwards. Her radiation therapy will continue through the end of the year.

“I really hope everything goes well. If the doctors see no growth and no new masses, I’ll be very happy,” said Woolsey.

Woolsey said the support she received from her campus and the community during her cancer diagnosis was overwhelming. Staff members, students, and parents from Willie Brown Elementary School and the surrounding community raised money through “Woolsey Warriors” t-shirt and wristband sales. The total amount raised was approximately $10,000.

She said the extreme generosity showed to her makes her proud that Mansfield ISD launched the Colors for Caring initiative this school year. Colors for Caring takes place on the first Monday of the month, and the community is encouraged to wear a color that represents a cancer that affected the life of a loved one.

The Willie Brown Elementary community showing
support for their beloved teacher.

“It makes the people going through it feel supported. It’s a great feeling to know that someone cares and that people are thinking of you.”

Through it all, Woolsey has kept her contagiously cheerful spirit and chooses to look for a silver lining to her situation. She has personally felt the power of community and wants to pay it forward.

“I think Colors for Caring is an awesome idea. It brings people closer and lets them know that they're not alone,” she added.

View the Colors for Caring photo gallery here.