Woman is "extremely touched" by effort of students and families in her cancer fight

EDWARDSVILLE - Cancer victim Stacy Jose was left extremely touched by what her colleagues, families and students at Trinity Lutheran School accomplished with its recent walk/run.

“I feel very blessed and I am overwhelmed by the love and support my family and I have received,” she said. “We’ve never asked for anything, but we’ve been given more than we could have ever imagined. Although I would have preferred that my children not have this experience, they’ve learned so much from it, including how gracious and kind people can be and how they can positively impact the lives of others.”

She continued that, “God has been good to us and has been guiding us every step of the way.”

The recent walk/run was to raise awareness at Trinity Lutheran School about breast cancer and provide spiritual, emotional and financial support to victims and Stacy Jose. It was called “Fight The Fight” after a line from First Timothy, Chapter 6, Verse 12 in the Bible: “Fight the good fight of Faith.”

Jose is the president of the Trinity Lutheran School Board and mother of two children in the school. Students prepared for three weeks getting pledges for the walk/run.

“Although many knew that I was battling cancer, we kept it very quiet in an effort to prevent constant attention on it,” she said. “My husband and I were very protective of our young children and didn't want others trying to dictate that conversation. I didn’t want it to be the topic of conversation and a constant reminder. We worked very hard to keep their lives and their schedules as ‘normal’ as possible.

“It was nearly a year after my diagnosis that I revealed the diagnosis, and the details of it, when I finally publicized the GoFundMe account my co-workers created for me as I was leaving my job. After that was publicized, the school and church stepped in to further assist my family. My husband and I, along with our two children, met with (science teacher) Mr. Frey to discuss his ideas. There were a few caveats; my kids had to be OK with others discussing it at school and asking them questions, and it had to be fun and engaging for all the kids participating.”

Jose said she is honored that her church and school families would try to not only raise awareness about breast cancer but to provide her family with spiritual, emotional and financial support.

“We are truly blessed to be a part of the Trinity Lutheran family,” she said.