CAMBRIDGE — Hugs, laughter and a come-from-behind-to-win basketball game made it easy to forget about Gillian McKendrick’s untreatable cancer.
The Glenview Park Secondary School business teacher was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer in June.
More than 50 students and teachers formed a team in the local Run for the Cure event Oct. 3. The $13,000 raised was tops for a local school.
McKendrick, 53, was guest of honour at the school Thursday, as pink shirts and ribbons were sported by staff and students. Chocolates were also sold for $2 each through the day, with the money going toward the school fundraising to fight breast cancer.
“I was embarrassed,” when first told of all the attention planned for her, McKendrick said.
“I don’t even stand up in staff meetings to talk.”
She’s undergoing radiation and chemotherapy to ease her symptoms, but no cure is offered for the advanced cancer.
Sitting in a wheelchair, McKendrick watched the school’s senior girls basketball team wear pink jerseys in her honour as it battled Sir John A. Macdonald. Throughout the game, McKendrick gently razzed students who stopped to say hello, or shared grins and gossip with teachers.
“I like to laugh,” she said.
“It’s a happy school . . . when you get to work around these students, you do feel happy.”
Her upbeat outlook in the face of a blunt diagnosis amazed teacher-librarian Shari Nicholas.
“She has a really positive attitude, with what’s going on,” Nicholas said. “I hope I’m able to do that if something like this happened to me.”
Glenview senior girls were down 26-14 at the half. During a mid-game ceremony, graduating team players received pink carnations from their coach. Then they gathered around McKendrick for hugs and presentation of a card saying “Fight.”
The team followed its own advice. When McKendrick left with 4:11 to go in the final quarter, a rally turned the score around to 39-35 for Glenview. McKendrick missed a nail-biter of a finish as Glenview held on for a 43-42 win.
Retrieved From: http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/807043
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