Help our teacher Mrs. Alicen Cheshire

Hi, my name is Garrett Mackay, I'm 14 years old. I am a student at Abington Heights High School in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. I am a student in Mrs. Alicen Cheshire honors geometry class.

Mrs. Alicen Cheshire, math teacher, mother and wife needs your help. Our teacher was diagnosed with breast cancer on September 2, 2013. Even though she has had a double mastectomy and is undergoing chemotherapy treatments every Friday, our teacher shows up for work every day with a smile on her face. Alicen Cheshire is a teacher at Abington Heights High School, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania and has a bachelor's degree in engineering and mathematics as well as a master's degree in business. Mrs. Cheshire has been a math teacher for eight years, and she has been married for 16 years to her husband, Reo. She has two beautiful daughters, Annalise who is 13 and Kanisha who is 11. They have a dog, Harry, a cat, Midnight, and a hamster, Jumpy.

On September 2, 2013, at age 45, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Mrs.Cheshire had no family history, no symptoms, and a mammogram August16, 2013 that was reported to be "normal". A week later, she had a annual gynecology appointment and a lump was found. The nurse practitioner recommended it be checked further. It probably saved Mrs. Cheshire's life. One lump ended up being three. An ultrasound and needle biopsy yielded definitive results. Mrs. Cheshire had breast cancer. The type of cancer is aggressive and fast growing. It is referred to as HER2 positive, and is directly related to estrogen produced by her body. Due to the aggressive nature of this type of cancer, she decided with her family to pursue aggressive treatment. Mrs. Cheshire had a double mastectomy on October 2, 2013, and started chemotherapy on November 1, 2013. She will go once a week for treatment until February, 2014. After that, she will go every three weeks until November, 2014. Mrs Cheshire told me that this experience has been much more difficult, physically and emotionally, than she ever imagined. Mrs Cheshire continues to work full time for as long as she is able, because she carries health insurance benefits for herself and her family. We are raising money for unforseen out of pocket expenses as well as for the situation that may arise if she is unable to continue working. Mrs. Cheshire told me has a wonderful family, amazing friends, and co-workers that are incredibly supportive. To quote Mrs. Cheshire "I TAKE EACH DAY AS IT COMES AND DO MY BEST. IT'S GOING TO TAKE MORE THAN BREAST CANCER TO TAKE ME OUT! I WON'T GIVE UP, AND I WON'T GIVE IN!"

Please help us raise funds for our wonderful teacher Mrs. Cheshire.