Kentucky student’s passion for learning transcends challenge of leukemia
Emily had an early Christmas this year.
The bright-eyed 8-year-old leukemia patient received one of her most hoped-for, but most improbable, gifts two weeks before Christmas this year: to attend school with her second-grade classmates.
Emily’s chemotherapy, which suppresses her natural immune ability in order to increase the chances her body will accept the transplanted bone marrow, has kept her out of class since kindergarten – and out of touch with her friends.
At Ashland, Kentucky’s Oakview Elementary School, educators and administrators have obviously gone the extra mile on Emily’s behalf to make sure her passion for school is not diminished. Teachers were making daily home visits to keep Emily up-to-speed on class work, and later added Saturday trips to the school library; requiring a thorough disinfectant wipe-down of library chairs, tables and more to make it as safe as possible for Emily to visit.
“Emily just beamed when she first walked into the library,” says Oakview Principal Nancy McHenry. “She just said, ‘Wow!’ and ran through the room looking at all the book shelves and decorations. It brought tears of joy to our eyes.”
Still, Emily’s teachers knew something was missing: friends.
Principal McHenry did not realize the wheel of activity she put in motion by asking Lennie Oxyer, the school district technology coordinator, what it would take to install a webcam to connect Emily with her class. After “making a few calls,” a chain reaction of corporate-level calls soon took on a life of its own. “Mike Dunn with AT&T called us, and then we heard Windstream was on-board – it just went crazy from there,” says Robyn Phillips, project manager for The Center for Rural Development’s CenterNET2 videoconferencing program in Somerset, Ky. “Once we heard Emily’s story and understood the need, the calls were made to bring the seven partners together to make it happen.”
And happen it did. Within only a few days AT&T, The Center for Rural Development, Windstream, York Telecom, Dell, the Commonwealth Office of Technology and Kentucky Department of Education had defined their roles and knew who had to do what and when. “I can’t thank these people enough,” commented Principal McHenry. “The next thing I knew, Lennie told me everything was in place and ready to go...and representatives from most of the partners drove halfway across the state to the school so they could see the system in action, and meet Emily. They were just unbelievable.”
Now, Emily is a daily part of her second-grade class for the better part of every school day she is not scheduled for treatment. A large monitor sits in class facing the blackboard allowing her teacher, Amy Skaggs, and Emily’s classmates to see her. Emily reads along with the class, takes notes, and raises her hand to answer or ask questions.
When asked how the new videoconferencing connection has improved her school life, Emily was quick with a reply. “I wasn’t really learning anything before. This is fun and I can see everybody and read...and I’m getting to know the other kids names, too.”
Emily’s “classroom” at home is a second-floor bedroom decorated much like the school library with bright colors and wall hangings. She stays on the same schedule as her classmates and even takes lunch and returns to her seat when they do.
“One of the aspects of Emily’s story that touched us most is her unbridled passion to learn,” said Rodney Murphy, The Center’s associate vice-president of Technology. “In spite of the challenges she faces, here’s a little girl who places learning and friendships above all else. She has proven to be an inspiration to all of us – and she’s provided a reminder of the truly important things in life, particularly for this season of the year.”
Mike Dunn of AT&T was one of the first involved with the project and had the opportunity to meet Emily and her teachers early-on. “This has been a tremendously satisfying and inspirational story to be involved with,” said Dunn. “All of us had big smiles and tears when we saw the impact of all this in the classroom and with Emily at home. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”
The impact of Emily’s story and donated efforts of the initial corporate partners continues to inspire as news of more Ashland businesses and several national organizations contribute with helpful products or services for Emily and the school. For more information on the on-going story and the technology involved, contact Robyn Phillips at The Center for Rural Development by calling (606) 677-6025, or by e-mail at rphillips@centertech.com.
The Center for Rural Development, through its CenterNET2 videoconferencing program, ranks as the leading provider of videoconferencing services in the state. Within the last several months, The Center has facilitated many connections between Iraqi-based soldiers and their family members, classroom-to-classroom exchanges between Kentucky elementary students and their counterparts in Hong Kong, China, and several “virtual field trips” to museums and other places of interest for students in the region.
