When Marlee couldn’t think of what she wanted, she decided to give her wish away. When Marlee was granted a wish by the Make-A-Wish Foundation her mother, who knows Marlee loves sea turtles, suggested a tropical trip to Hawaii to see them. It’s not for her personally - it’s the cause she fights for.” “I think they see her and want to support her mission. “I think it’s Marlee’s spirit,” Johnson said. Baldrick’s website where they signed up more than 100 students, teachers and community members who solicited donations.

The school started a Meridian Mustangs team on the St. “I’m just amazed we raised as much money as we did. “You have a connection to your students,” she said. Johnson, one of three first grade teachers to volunteer, didn’t see losing her hair as particularly brave or sacrificial.

“Now I don’t have to brush my hair,” she said.Įrin Dupper, was the first teacher to volunteer to go bald. “We want to stand in solidarity with Marlee as she comes back to school and I want to stand next to my daughter,” Johnson said. The two posed for photos after the haircut and ran their hands over the prickly soft bristles. In the end, three female teachers agreed to go under the shears, including Amy Johnson who was inspired by her daughter Elle. The family agreed to host the event after they were approached by Hempelmann.

“She thought ‘this has got to happen and I have to deal with it,’ and she did it with a smile on her face.” “Even after her amputation and chemo, she has never let it slow her down,” Shelly Pack said. 9, and plans to return to class after Spring Break. Marlee, who just turned 9, finished her last chemotherapy treatment on Feb. A second opinion, an MRI and a biopsy later, a specialist diagnosed Marlee with Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of cancer that develops from connective tissues in the body.Ī few weeks later doctors amputated her foot to remove the tumor and Marlee began 40 weeks of chemotherapy. When it didn’t go away after a month, they sought a pediatrician who told them it was hematoma. Since Marlee plays soccer, the family thought it was a sport-related injury. Last year, Marlee’s mother Shelly Pack noticed a bump on her daughter’s left foot.

Broomfield brave church