Fabiana Grady, 46, is a teacher that students describe as loving and compassionate.
She said the passion to be a teacher sparked in her when she came to Boone from Brazil to help a student take a test. She started to study to become a teacher and is now a Spanish teacher in room No. 203.
In November 2020, Grady was diagnosed with breast cancer.
She went for a routine check-up (mammogram) and the doctors alerted her to the possibility. After that, she had a biopsy to confirm, and it came back positive.
Her family had a history of cancer and knew the effects and trauma it could cause.
“We were all scared,” Grady said. “After all, my father died of lung cancer. My father smoked from his teens until his early twenties. That’s why I campaign with my students not to smoke, not to vape. I’ve seen up close the damage it does to our health.”
Grady needed to have daily radiotherapy sessions in the hospital for a while and continues to take a medication to treat breast cancer. The biggest challenge during treatment for her was fatigue and not being able to connect in person with her mother during treatment.
“Nothing is stronger than a hug,” Grady said. “Sometimes you don’t even need to say a word; a hug embraces the soul.”
After the diagnosis, Grady vowed to stay strong and fight in good spirits
“If you want to fight to stay alive, the last thing you should do is waste your life. Each day spent complaining is a day not lived to the full.”
She says her biggest fear during the battle was leaving her children. She wondered if they would be cared for with the same love if she wasn’t here. Her son was only 6 years old at the time, and Grady said he was fearful for his mother’s life.
“My next-door neighbor was also battling breast cancer and had passed away,” Grady said. “My son and I saw my neighbor being taken out of the house on a stretcher covered by a plastic bag. He would soon know from his friend what happened that day. He associated the word ‘cancer’ with death and I had to have a more in-depth conversation with him.”
To keep her spirits up, Grady started an Instagram profile to tell people about her routine and what she was doing. At first, it was a way for her friends and family in Brazil to stay informed.
Over time, she started to use it to reach out to people in the same situation as her, and in this way, they helped each other.
In 2023, Grady had another check-up and was found to be cancer free. By then she was already working at Boone, and she shared the good news with her students.
“It was an incredible experience,” Grady said. “We celebrated together. My students made me cry as they applauded this victory with me. I was touched to see so much empathy and genuine love coming from them.”
Cancer survivorship taught Grady that she was stronger than she thought.
“If even a delicate little flower can grow in the midst of hard concrete, why can’t we be our own fortress? Life is beautiful, always. Some days may not be as good as others, but that doesn’t take away from the beauty of life as a whole.”
