Student Teaches Teacher A Rare And Lasting Lesson In Terry Fox’s Brand Of Heroism

By Dave Toderick

Actually, she’s my former student and I’m her former teacher, but that would have made for an awkward title.  And I wouldn’t want to give you the impression that a teacher learning from his students is a “Man Bites Dog” kind of event.  My students were constantly teaching me.

Moriah Kolenda (right) and her sister Rayne, prior to her chemo treatment for cancer.

Moriah Kolenda was in my class when she was in Grade 3, and again in Grade 5.  I coached her in Cross Country Running, Relays, and Track and Field.  Her favourite part of the day, she would tell me on the way out the door for home, was usually Gym or Art.  On our last day together, my final day as a classroom teacher, she gave me a DVD she made, a slideshow of photos of the last few days of the school year set to music; Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World”.

If you had asked me about her back then, I would have said that she was a great kid, but it’s only now, five years later, that I’m coming to appreciate just how extraordinary she is.  I’ll get to that in a moment.

Among the many, many things I wanted my students to learn, both from the curriculum and about life, was about Terry Fox.  I wanted them to learn about Terry’s courage so that when they needed it, they’d find that they had courage too.  I wanted them to learn about the way Terry broke down seemingly impossible tasks into smaller steps, so that when they faced huge challenges, they’d be able to keep moving forward and not be overwhelmed.  I wanted them to learn about Terry’s work ethic, so that they’d work hard too, and see how success comes from effort.  I wanted them to learn about determination and persistence, and caring about and doing things to help others.

We read stories and articles about Terry.  We watched him in videos.  We sang a song about him.  My students taught what they learned about Terry to other students in the school.  The whole school community felt tremendous pride in the success of our annual Terry Fox Runs.

Okay.  You’ve probably figured out where this is going.  I found out in February that Moriah had her leg amputated because she had osteosarcoma, the same cancer that Terry Fox had.

Moriah and her mother Karen sharing a warm moment while Moriah is in treatment.

 I’ve hinted at Moriah’s love of sports and athletic ability.  As she got older, her favourite sports came to be volleyball and snowboarding.  She made her school volleyball team in Grade 7.  At this level, a team generally is made up of Grade 7’s and 8’s.  They practice together, but when it comes to games, the 8’s play and the 7’s watch.  That might not seem fair, but that’s the way it is.  The 7’s are being groomed for next year. 

Moriah was one of the few 7’s who got to play in games.  When she went on to secondary school, she was a starter on the Grade 10 team while still in Grade 9.  She also played on rep teams, both with her own age group, the 15-year olds, and one year up.  In addition, she returned to her previous school to help coach the Grade 7’s and 8’s, partly because she wanted to help, but also because she got to play more volleyball in the practice drills.

Her brother Josh, older by one year, is also a talented volleyball player who knows all about overcoming challenges.  Josh, born with congenital heart disease, had his first heart surgery the day after his birthday.  Not his first birthday.  The day after he was born.  He’s had many other procedures and surgeries since, including two more open-heart surgeries.  With his two chamber heart, he’s not supposed to have the strength or endurance to play sports at all, certainly not at the competitive level, but he played in beach volleyball tournaments all summer long, with impressive results.  I’ll tell you a story about Josh in a few moments, but first let me introduce the youngest member of the family, and then get on about M

Moriah rock climbing at Camp Oochigeas

oriah.

Rayne is five years old.  She loves the outdoors, and playing with her friends.  She’s hoping to take dance and swimming lessons this fall.  Her specialty is in making her parents  David and Karen laugh, which is pretty important with all they have been through.

Back to Moriah.  Two years ago, she went to see a doctor because of a pain in her knee.  Misread x-rays contributed to a misdiagnosis that she had a sports injury.  A year later – a year ago – her parents insisted that the continuing pain and now visible bump had to be more than that and that further testing was necessary.  They were right. A mass was discovered, which led to an MRI, which showed a tumour, which led to more tests at Sick Kids, where it was discovered that she had osteocarcoma in her left tibia, just below the knee.  As if that wasn’t enough, Moriah and her parents were informed of cancerous lesions in her lungs.  Fortunately, a follow-up lung biopsy indicated the cancer was not in her lungs, although the doctors still aren’t sure what they’re seeing as they continue to monitor.

Chemo treatments began in October, 2009.  Discussions about amputation versus limb-salvage surgery followed.  Moriah, naturally, wanted to keep her leg, and on February 4 of this year, Josh’s birthday, a surgery that was supposed to last for 9 hours began.  Moriah fully expected to wake up with both legs.

During the surgery, an extremely rare clotting problem changed limb-salvage to emergency above-the-knee amputation to save her life.  Her parents, while extremely thankful that she was still alive, were nevertheless worried about how Moriah was going to react to the news.  With a breathing tube preventing her from speaking, Moriah scribbled, “Thank you for trying so hard!” to the surgeons, and her parents realized that Moriah was going to be okay, and that with an attitude like that, she would overcome all obstacles ahead.

And there have been a few.  Since the surgery, Moriah has mostly alternated between two weeks of chemo and two weeks of physio.  While she was in the hospital for one of those chemo treatments, Josh was on another floor, having yet another surgery.  Released earlier in the day than Moriah, he went up to her room to sleep until their mom came to take them home.

Moriah - like Terry Fox - a profile in courage.

Which turns into another adventure.  Their vehicle won’t start and they have to call CAA.  Sitting in the tow truck in traffic on the Gardiner, Moriah needs to get to a washroom, fast – the meds she is taking do that to a person – and the driver comes through, getting them off the highway and to a fast food restaurant.  Next problem:  Moriah isn’t wearing her prosthetic leg and there’s no time to get the wheelchair.  Brother Josh to the rescue.  Despite soreness from his surgery, he carries Moriah piggy-back in and out of the restaurant. Big smiles on both their faces on the way out.

In addition to the physical, cancer takes its emotional and financial tolls.  It can also bring out the absolute best in people. 

Moriah’s community rallied behind her.  Last November, “Bounce Up, Jump Up – A Miracle for Moriah”, a fashion show and luncheon fundraiser, was held.  In March, Moriah’s school raised money through a variety of events.  In May, the Cancer Assistance Society purchased a laptop computer which Moriah was able to use to, among other things, keep up with her schoolwork.  Friends and extended family have also pitched in with house cleaning and yard work, babysitting and meals. 

Moriah has made new friends while in hospital, and has enjoyed visits from other friends who have brought support via music, snacks, and smiles.  This summer, she had a blast at Camp Oochigeas, a camp for children with cancer.  Made possible by the support of donors and volunteers, there is no cost to the families.  Speaking of family, the Kolendas just keep bouncing back by drawing on support from each other as well as from their strong faith.

Moriah was back in school on the first day of the new school year.  She’ll be in class as much as possible this fall, juggling school, her final chemo session, and continuing physio.  She’s about 10 months ahead of schedule with her prosthetic leg.  She’s very excited because the XT9 high activity above-the-knee prostheses, which has been ordered for her, will allow her to rollerblade, water ski, rock climb, snowboard and play volleyball.  She wants to try out for the school team, and I would not bet against her.

Since she was a small child, Moriah has dreamed of some day working overseas with an organization such as World Vision.  She’s considering learning a skilled trade like carpentry to that end.  This past year has only strengthened her resolve to make a tangible difference in the lives of the less fortunate.
    
I used to tell my students that Terry Fox wasn’t comfortable being called a hero but, nevertheless, he was a hero of mine.  Now I’m telling you that Moriah probably wouldn’t be comfortable being called a hero either, but she is too.

Postscript:  The 30th Annual Terry Fox Run will be happening in or near your community on Sunday, September 19, 2010. You can find time and sites for the runs in your community by clicking on   www.terryfox.org/Run/Find_a  Run_

(Dave Toderick has moved back to his hometown Welland to walk along the canal with his dog, Koocher, and write songs about things that inspire or annoy him.)

(Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary on matters of interest and concern to our greater binational Niagara region.)