October is nationally recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness month. The students and faculty of Morristown West High School began preparing for this in September. Several fun, fundraising campaigns combined to collect over $3,000.00 for the Morristown Regional Cancer Center or MRCC. The Trojan Nation chose MRCC in memory of 2 former faculty members, Jane Dickerson and Cari Ashford.
The first 2 fundraising events involved student and faculty parking. Seniors and members of the staff were allowed to purchase a reserved parking space this year. Each participant was permitted to personalize their space by painting a pre-approved image or scene. Over 50 people took part in the project over the course of two Saturdays. Trojan Nation senior Hallie Lane described her experience by saying, “I loved it. I’ve always wanted to do this. I thought it was cool how we all came together as a community to help others.“ To wrap up the month, the faculty joined together for Pink Day. Teachers donated $5 each to wear jeans and pink shirts in support of breast cancer awareness.
Suzanne Mickey, MRCC Director of Oncology stated, “Sometimes our patients can’t take care of even the basic needs. The patient assistant fund is my passion. The community support in Hamblen County is incredible. Every penny earned goes directly to our patients.“ Event sponsor and faculty member, Dr. Amie Rumph responded with this personal anecdote, “When my sister battled cancer, we had so many people help in the ways Suzanne [Mickey] described. From bringing meals to donating sick days so she wouldn't lose her health insurance. There is no way my family could ever repay those who cared for her and us. This touches my heart to think that maybe I was a part of paying it forward.”
This effort was a resounding success and members of the West High leadership team anticipate this will be an annual tradition. When asked about the donation, Dr. Mailien Rogers, Medical Oncologist at MRCC, summed it up nicely, “I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, for the patients.” For more information about the Morristown Regional Cancer Center go to www.morristownhamblen.com/cancer or www.jinglerunforhope.com.
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