Goal #2 - Top 10 in my graduating class

Being drum major and graduating in the Top 10 were two goals that never left me all through high school. They are still two achievements that give me strengths all these years later. Making the Top 10 took four years of work and dedication. I faltered a little in Mr. Bauer's chemistry class. I just had no passion for the class, and I made a C one six weeks. I ended up with a B average, but that wasn't my style at all.

Being diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease and undergoing chemo from the beginning of my senior year until the end of February didn't help my academics much. I didn't miss many whole days of school, but I did miss a lot of classes. I had Advanced Concepts math (aka Calculus) first period, and that class, although I really enjoyed it, was the one I missed the most. Some mornings, especially toward the end of my treatments, I just couldn't get going.

Mrs. Ratcliff was my Calculus teacher. I have had many teachers I would count as favorites - Mrs. DiChiara, Mrs. Wiist, Mrs. Gilmore, Ms. Lindsey - but Mrs. Ratcliff remains the most special. She took such good care of me my senior year. When I got home from Baptist Hospital, she came to see me. She brought a banner, probably 6-7 feet long, with well wishes from all my classmates. That banner decorated my bedroom for the rest of the year and even hung in my dorm at Troy State University. Many times I was invited to her house to catch up on school work and to shoot a little pool. She even attempted to video tape her class when I was unable to be there. That didn't work out so well because my family's video recorder wasn't the best, but she was willing to do whatever it took to keep me on track. However, the most important thing is something she didn't do; she never cut me a break because I was sick.

My other classes were relatively easy for me to keep up with because they required mostly reading, writing, researching, and memorizing. I had to put a lot more effort into Calculus. By January and February of that year, I was very weakened. On top of that, I kept getting sore throats and would have to have shots to boost my immune system. I couldn't have chemo while I was sick or taking the shots so it was taking longer that expected to complete my last chemo treatments. I was physically and mentally depleted. I was missing more classes during this time, especially Calculus. It was getting harder for me to keep up.

Remember how I said Mrs. Ratcliff never cut me a break because I was sick? Well, the proof came at the end of that winter's six weeks. I had earned and she placed on my report card a D!!!! I had only made one C in my life, and that was bad enough for me! The fact that my favorite teacher gave me a D was almost unbelievable to me. On top of that, it was a 68. In my professional opinion that should have been close enough to bump up to a 70/C, but she didn't. I wasn't mad, but I was horrified. I still had my hopes pinned on going to college the following fall, and that was going to have to be through an academic scholarship. Mrs. Ratcliff's advice was to work hard and bring up the semester average. I finally finished chemo at the end of February, and I started eight weeks of radiation. That wasn't near as draining on me as the chemo. I wasn't missing school, and I was working hard. For the next two six weeks, I received "A"s on my report card. My semester average was a high B. Good enough after the whole D incident.

The D didn't derail me. I graduated #8 in my class and won a full scholarship to Troy State. I also won several thousand additional dollars in private scholarships based on academics and my tale of fighting cancer while fully participating in school. And of course, I still loved Mrs. Ratcliff.