Garner said the campus and community support
she receives keeps her spirits high as she fights cancer.
TEACHER DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER
FINDS STRENGTH IN COLORS FOR CARING
J
une 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.
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 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.”
“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 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.
Garner underwent her most recent
chemotherapy
on Sept. 20.
She has a few
The Colors for Caring Days
more rounds of
for 2018-19 are:
chemotherapy
to go before
- Monday, Sept. 3
she undergoes
- Monday, Oct. 1
surgery.
The mother of four began chemotherapy
in the summertime, and shaved her head
beforehand due to the hair loss it causes.
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.”
She hopes to
transition from
being a cancer
patient to
being a cancer
survivor by
August 2019.
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
19
- Monday, Nov. 5
- Monday, Dec. 3
- Monday, Jan. 7
- Monday, Feb. 4
- Monday, March 4
- Monday, April 1
- Monday, May 6
M A NSFIELD ISD.O RG