When a history teacher ran out of sick days to care for his 16-month-old daughter battling cancer, the compassion of his fellow teachers came to the rescue.
David Green, a history teacher at The Mae Jemison High School in Huntsville, Alabama, is the father of a beautiful baby girl named Kinsley. Kinsley was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at just 10 months old and has been undergoing treatment since then. Doctors hope that she can beat the disease within two years of treatment.
Part of Kinsley’s treatment involves regular trips to a medical center 100 miles from home, and she needs her father with her as much as possible. When David ran out of sick days, he didn’t know what to do. He gets only one sick day per month, which is insufficient for someone who needs to care for a sick family member.
David and his wife, Megan Green, calculated that he needed 40 days to help care for Kinsley. With no other options, Megan posted on Facebook to see if any of his fellow teachers could donate a sick day.
“David is officially out of sick days at work,” the post read. “We want him to continue to be able to be with us at the hospital while Kinsley is getting chemotherapy. So if you are a teacher in the State of Alabama and can donate a sick day, we would greatly appreciate it! Kinsley is the biggest daddy’s girl and needs him to be here as often as he can, so she would be so thankful for any donated days so she can spend time with her daddy.”
“Kinsley will be in treatment for leukemia through the end of the summer and maybe even into the beginning of the school year next year. So we still have a long road ahead! Any help would be so appreciated.
Upon hearing about David’s situation, his fellow educators came together and donated 100 of their own personal sick days so that David could use them to care for and be with Kinsley.
“We were blown away by the response we received with the sick days. We were hoping to get a couple of days so he could be here once a week,” said Megan Green, Kinsley’s mother. “It is a huge blessing, and we can’t wait until we are in a position to give back and help others.”
Photo credit: Megan Green
Wilma DeYampert, an assistant principal at another school in the same district as David, saw the post on Facebook and generously donated two of her own sick days to help. Despite being recently diagnosed with cancer herself, it was all she could afford to give.
“I could not imagine having a child and being away from the child,” Wilma explained. “So, I just thought it was the right thing to do. My mom always said, ‘You don’t have to be rich to bless someone.’”
Another teacher, Anna Kachelman, added, “You want to send words of encouragement, you want to do something to help, but this was a real physical way that we could help him and his family.”
Photo credit: Megan Green
The combination of minimal sick days and low wages makes it nearly impossible for teachers to afford time off during unpredictable situations or emergencies. Nearly half of all teachers lack access to retirement benefits as well. Education is crucial as it shapes the lives and ideas of our children. It’s critical that our teachers are well provided for and taken care of.
As news of Kinsley’s condition spread online, people wanted to help further, so David and Megan set up a GoFundMe to help pay for Kinsley’s medical costs. Megan wrote:
Kind people from around the world generously donated to Kinsley’s GoFundMe, surpassing their initial goal of $25,000.
Their story is a beautiful example of the loving and kind hearts of teachers and people worldwide.