A little help from her friends

Published 1:02 pm Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Lynnwood High School staff banded together for longtime teacher Andrea Coglon after she had breast cancer surgery and returned to teaching at the school with little lag time.

This month, they sold T-shirts and arm bands at school, raising about $350.

The money will go toward the staff’s Relay for Life Team effort, which raises money for the American Cancer society.

“We did it to raise money for the Relay for Life team but mainly to show support for Andrea,” said fellow Lynnwood teacher Sara Board. “For the amount we did in the time frame that we did it in, it was actually amazing. We had a ton of support and help from everyone at school.”

The project started when Board talked with her class about October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

“Lots of students had stories about their moms, grandmas, including mine, friends and aunts,” Board said. Then she learned about Coglon.

Board talked with Renee Malowney, a fellow teacher and Relay for Life organizer, about what they could do to raise awareness about cancer and show support for Coglon.

The team of teachers will participate in the Relay for Life event in May at the high school. The school has Relay for Life teams with staff, students and families of those affected.

Malowney has been involved with Relay For Life for several years.

“I know how disruptive it can be to one’s life and how lonely a process it can be,” she said of cancer. “My heart goes out to Andrea. I want her to know that she is not going through this fight alone and that we are all behind her.”

This year, the team’s name is “Coglon’s crusaders.”