Principal Starts GoFundMe For 11-Year-Old Homeless Student Battling Bone Cancer
A Brooklyn Assistant Principal has gone above and beyond the call of duty to help a homeless student who needs medical care after battling cancer.
Mia Blount, 11, is currently in remission from bone cancer and thanks to the caring heart of Brownsville Collaborative Middle School's Assistant Principal Nyesha Shade (who also happens to be Mia's favorite teacher), she's currently on her way to collecting funds for the operation and recovery she needs.
Blount, her mother, Shameeka Williams, and two siblings, ages 13 and 6, currently live in a shelter in Brooklyn, while her mom looks for a new job. Mia is in desperate need of surgery to replace a metal rod in her leg that she's outgrown, which was used to replace her cancerous femur. In an effort to help, Assistant Principal Shade started a GoFundMe, which has reached $8,406 of its $50k goal at the time of this article's publication.
“It’s been hard on Mia and her mom, so I’m doing what I can to help,” said Shade. “My goal is to make sure she’s OK in the long run.”
According to Mia's GoFundMe:
"Mom will use the funds to assist with getting the family out of the shelter system and moving back down south where Mia can return to the hospital and doctors she is familiar with. The environment will be more conducive to her healing process. The funds will also assist the family with any expenses (i.e. food, clothing, housing, travel, or medical expenses) associated with the surgery and the healing Mia will need."
Mia was diagnosed with bone cancer in April 2015, while living in Charlotte, N.C. with her mom and siblings. The family fell on harder times when Williams had to move her family back to New York from Charlotte after losing her job as a security guard. By May 2016, Mia was in remission after completing chemotherapy and braving two surgeries.
Assistant Principal Shade was inspired to help after learning of Mia's story. “She’s like an angel. She brings hope to a lot of people here, I know especially for myself,” Shade told CBS New York. “Ever since she walked through the doors of the school, it’s been amazing.”
Shade and the teachers at Mia's school do all they can to make sure Mia and students like her are as comfortable and welcomed as possible.
“We make sure they have clean uniforms and school supplies,” Shade said according to the New York Daily News. “We’re thinking about the whole child. They need to be supported."
Oh yeah, and Mia already knows what she wants to do with the bright future she has ahead. “Be a nurse,” she told CBS New York. “So I can help other kids with cancer.”
