Published: August 20, 2008 12:58 pm            

Battling cancer

Byng teacher not alone in the fight of her life

Byng — A Byng math teacher faces stage four cancer, but her former students aren’t letting her fight alone. Jan Sturdevant has been helping people “solve for x” for more than 30 years. She’s a math teacher and former cheerleading coach at Byng Junior High and was recently named Oklahoma Math Teacher of the Year. Until recently, she never met a problem she couldn’t fix.

Now, Sturdevant is facing cancer for the third time in her life. And while she doesn’t plan on giving up her fight against the cancer, it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.

This doesn’t mean she’ll have to face it alone, though. Along with her family, Sturdevant’s former students and fellow teachers are joining together to help.

Tina Allen of Ada, who had Sturdevant as a teacher and cheerleading coach roughly 10 years ago, is one of those people. Along with Stacy Tornio, also a former student who now lives in Wisconsin, the two women recently started the Web site, www.helpsolveforx.com, where people can post their words of encouragement to Sturdevant through a blog.

“We wanted to give people an outlet where they can communicate with Mrs. Sturdevant without overwhelming the family with phone calls,” Allen said. “She is a very popular teacher, so instead of everyone wondering what they could do, we thought it would be easier to start this Web site.”

In addition to the Web site, Allen and Tornio have been working with others to hold an online auction to benefit the Sturdevant family.

“We know their bills are piling up, so we started collecting items for an online auction we’re holding through eBay,” Allen said. “We have been overwhelmed by the response. Most of the donors don’t even know Mrs. Sturdevant personally, but they are offering us these amazing, handcrafted items to sell in her honor.”

When Sturdevant learned complete strangers were donating items for the auction, she was overwhelmed.

“For people to respond from all over the country is just amazing,” she said. “It restores my hope in other people and gives me the strength to keep fighting.”

Donors have sent their items from as far away as California and New York. The auction is going on now through early next week. One can find everything from jewelry and kids’ items to art prints and a gift certificate for a photo session with a local photographer.

Currently, Sturdevant is spending as much time with her family between receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatments in Tulsa. She’s unsure of what the future will hold, but one thing is for sure—she’s not giving up the fight and neither are her family and friends.

“This means the world to me,” she said. “For former students to do such amazing things for me fills my heart with hope and love. It means that hopefully I have touched a life, and that gives me fulfillment in my life.”

To learn more about the blog and auction for Sturdevant, go to www.helpsolveforx.com. Most of the auctions to benefit Sturdevant will end around Aug. 27.

        

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