It’s the season of giving back and students at Troy High School are looking to help out a teacher in a big way. The students are setting a $30,000 goal to support Ms. Theresa Martin.
The whole school is getting involved and that includes the teachers who have agreed to a dodge ball tournament.
“She did so much for me I just wanted to be able to give back to her anything we can do to help,” Junior Rebecca Prater said.
Prater and her classmates are giddy with excitement, planning the massive dodge ball tournament.
“For her we would like to help out with her travel costs because she does have to go far to find treatment and then the rest could go to research for her disease Mast Cell,” said Senior Zama Buthelezi.
Mast Cell Disease has taken its toll on Ms. Martin, keeping her from eating any food and relying on a feeding tube.
“It’s like a constant allergic reaction so I have to be on high levels of medications or I wouldn’t really be able to leave my house,” Martin said.
But she does because through her battle, she’s also found her joy.
“I’ve lost a lot to my illness, I’ve lost a lot of parts of myself,” she said. “And really through my disease I’ve realized this is really where I’m meant to be.
It’s that perseverance and commitment that has the students going all out with this project, hanging signs, selling t-shirts, partnering with restaurants and so much more.
“It’s just a great thing for Ms. Martin because we all love her so much and I know she loves us and I’m just so happy to be doing this for her,” Buthelezi said.
The whole school is on board including the teachers who play in that final dodge ball game.
“The little I’ve seen everyone doing in the lunchroom, in the halls, it adds up and it really does create this whole snowball effect,” Buthelezi said.
“She’s so inspiring, I want to be just like her,” Prater said.
The public is welcome to attend the dodge ball tournament at Troy High on Monday December 5 at 6:30 p.m. Donations can be made to Troy High School: Attention Miracles for Mast Cell /Harriet Clark.
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