Alexa Rohrbach and Tyler Copley’s pictures are displayed at Lost Mountain Middle School where students are participating in the 4Quarter4Research cancer fundraiser. Jennifer Dawson, Teacher Sponsor

AVOC

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October 12, 2008

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Kennesaw LMMS Students respond to Jennifer Dawson’s call for cancer fundraising

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By Wendell Dawson, Editor, AVOC, Inc

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Having a daughter as a teacher has taught me how the relationship between teacher and student is so special.   In her teaching career, Jennifer has experienced much joy and sadness.   Such is life.

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Joy has come with the success and achievements of students and sadness has come with illness, suffering and death of students.   This past summer saw the passing of Tyler Copley who had been in Ms. Dawson’s Sixth Grade Social Studies at Lost Mountain Middle School. That courageous young man held on for years and was recognized for attitude and valiant effort.

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The first week of school (Fall 2008) brought Alexa Rohrbach into Jennifer’s world.   Alexa was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma cancer when she was one.   She has had a lot of treatments since then and her parents’ number one goal is for her to have a normal life.   During her short stay at Lost Mountain Middle School, Alexa made an impression on Ms. Dawson and her fellow classmates.

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Lost Mountain Middle School, Kennesaw, GA

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They recently held a 4Quarter4Research Fundraiser at Lost Mountain Middle School to raise funds to help find a cure for childhood cancer.   They had a rally and had t-shirts etc.   Jennifer’s mother, Betty Dawson, went to Kennesaw to help on Friday, October 10, 2008, with organizing the donations.   It was very successful for the students who raised $ 3,509.85 in loose change and bills.

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The students were really energized and were recognized with a front page story in the Marietta Daily Journal on Sunday, October 12, 2008.

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Life has its purposes and rewards for us in many ways.    We are happy for he LMMS students and their teacher, Ms. Dawson.

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Jennifer Dawson

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7-29-08 Special Tribute to Tyler Copley – Living with Cancer – Final Stages

8-7-08 Tyler Copley passed away early today after a long and valiant battle with cancer

11-7-07 Jennifer Dawson receives Outstanding Social Studies Educator Award

9-19-06 Jennifer Dawson (OCHS 89) Named Teacher of Year in Cobb County

9-4-06 Teachers are special and death of young one is tragic

6-1-06 Jennifer Dawson named teacher of the year for 2006-7 at Lost Mountain Middle School in Kennesaw

1-21-05 Social Studies Fair at Lost Mountain Middle School (Kennesaw)

http://www.cobb.k12.ga.us/news/2006/20060918_DawsonTOTY.htm

http://www.cobbk12.org/~lostmountain/

10-12-08 Lost Mountain Middle School (Kennesaw) students raise money for young cancer patient

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Marietta Daily Journal

http://www.mdjonline.com/content/index/showcontentitem/area/1/section/21/item/120452.html

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October 12, 2008

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Students raise thousands for cancer patient

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By Talia Mollett
Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer

KENNESAW - Alexa Rohrbach was only a week into her middle school years at Lost Mountain Middle School when her parents rushed her to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite's Intensive Care Unit because the sixth-grader was having trouble breathing.

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Alexa Rohrbach and Tyler Copley’s pictures are displayed at Lost Mountain Middle School where students

are participating in the 4Quarter4Research cancer fundraiser. Seventh-grader Rachel Berry says the issue

touches close to home: ‘My mother had colon cancer, (and) I met Tyler last year.’

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Carbon dioxide building up in her lungs was only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the 11-year-old's health, however.

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When she was 1, Alexa was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma cancer. Doctors gave the infant only a 20 percent chance to survive because the cancer, which was in her bones and bone marrow, was already in an advanced stage.

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Alexa's mom, Robin Rohrbach, recalls when she first felt something was wrong.

"It was right after her first birthday and we had gotten a little birthday cake and put in on her high chair.

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We were ready for her to play with it, smash it, but she was so lethargic that she just stared at it," she said. "Right after that, she got a fever and we knew something was up. She also had dark circles under her eyes and would cry when we took her out of the high chair or car seat, but would be fine when we put her back down."

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Robin said they took their tiny girl to the doctor, where they had blood work done. After noticing Alexa's blood counts were off, the doctors delved deeper and found a mass in her abdomen and on her adrenal gland.

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"We were so scared, nervous and sad. We thought, 'How could this happen to a 1-year-old, a baby who is so young?' Then we just realized it's the luck of the draw and we had faith and knew there's a reason for everything. We had God at the center of our lives and it carried us through," Robin said.

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After multiple surgeries, radiation and chemotherapy treatments, Alexa emerged cancer free. She has been clear for 10 years, but the amount of medical treatments done on her body at such a young age have taken their toll, Robin said.

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The two things she has the most problems with are breathing and her spine, which became curved from the radiation. Alexa has gone through a spinal fusion and tracheotomy surgery. Despite complications from the disease, Robin said her daughter always has a positive attitude.

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"Alexa is amazing. I know she wishes she could run with other kids but she still has an amazing attitude. She finds joy in the little things in life," Robin said. "I don't know how she does it. I wouldn't be able to handle it as well as she does. Her life is very different from the average 11-year-old."

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Robin said her daughter wants more than anything to be a normal kid.

"She wants to hang out with friends, go shopping. She's very far from normal but all the doctors comment on what a great attitude she has," she said. "She inspires people and gives them hope."

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Despite having only attended Lost Mountain Middle School for one week, students at the middle school decided to conduct a fundraiser this week called "4Quarters4Research" in honor of Alexa, former student Tyler Copley and other children diagnosed with cancer.

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Last week, students were asked to collect loose change and bring in whatever money they could to donate to help find a cure for childhood cancer.

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Sixth-grade teacher and Helping Hands Club sponsor Jennifer Dawson said she brought the idea up to the Helping Hands club after she saw signs that she should get involved.

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"Alexa was the little girl on the brochure in my packet for the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research. The first Friday of school I got an e-mail from Rally asking if I would do the program. I also taught Tyler and the day of his viewing, my Rally T-shirts showed up in the mail. I was like, 'O.k. Tyler, I get it.'"

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Rachel Berry, a seventh-grader at Lost Mountain, said the fundraiser touched close to home for her as well.

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"My mom had colon cancer, and she's a survivor. I also met Tyler last year, and I walked with him at Relay for Life. I wanted to make a difference in the lives of kids that have been affected by cancer," Berry said.

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Dawson said the club's goal was to raise more than $ 1,600 for the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research, the most money ever raised for the foundation.

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True to her word, the students at Lost Mountain blew the goal out of the water - raising $ 3,509.85 in loose change and bills.

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"It is absolutely unbelievable," Dawson said.

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After spending nearly six weeks in the intensive care unit at Scottish Rite, Alexa has been moved to the rehabilitation floor at the hospital and is slowly recovering. Robin Rohrbach said her daughter is working hard to leave the hospital and get back home and to school.

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For more information on the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research, visit www.rallyfoundation.org

tmollett@mdjonline.com

Marietta Daily Journal

http://www.mdjonline.com/content/index/showcontentitem/area/1/section/21/item/120454.html

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October 12, 2008

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Remembering Tyler Copley

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By Talia Mollett

Tyler Copley, 19, lost his battle to Ewing sarcoma Aug. 7 after battling the disease for nearly six years. Mother Connie Copley said Tyler was diagnosed just before his 13th birthday after complaining of an aching leg.

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"I took him to urgent care to get an X-Ray and they saw a shadow. Nothing showed up in the CAT scan. On Jan. 15, he had a biopsy, and we were told that day. We were in shock," she said.

Tyler took the news differently, however.

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"I think he was mad some but he was also like, 'OK, lets do what we have to do to get rid of it. He never expressed a lot of anger, but I think sometimes he got frustrated because he lost out on being a teenager. His friends moved on, but I don't think he was bitter," Connie said.

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Tyler grew up liking sports, politics, history, geography and autobiographies. A sports fanatic, his favorite teams were the Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Thrashers and Ohio State Buckeyes.

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"He was very strong-willed and had an opinion about everything," Connie said. "It used to make us crazy when he was young, but it ended up being his strength. That strong will gave him the strength to get up every day."

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Hearing the news that her son had cancer wasn't as hard for Connie until she had to hear it again. After enduring chemotherapy treatments and the gamut, Tyler relapsed in October 2004, she said.

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"It was 100 times worse to find out he relapsed because kids with Ewing's who relapse typically die quickly," she said.

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Not wanting to undergo more treatments, Tyler decided he would live for a shorter time healthy instead of living for a longer time sick from treatments, she said.

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By June 2005, Tyler was ready to make a big decision for the then 16-year-old - he would have his leg amputated.

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After doctors removed his cancerous leg, Tyler's demeanor completely changed. He began training for a triathlon and swimming every day.

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While maintaining an active lifestyle, Tyler also began blogging about his struggle and even created a 'bucket list' detailing things he would like to do before he died. He graduated from Harrison High School in 2007 and began attending college classes at Georgia Highlands College as an education major.

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By Spring 2008, Tyler was coughing up blood. After confessing to his parents, they took him to the hospital and another CAT scan revealed the bad news - the cancer had spread to his lungs.

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On May 30, Connie wrote: "By now many of our family and local friends have heard Tyler's news about his health status, but I just haven't had the time or energy to update this site for a few days. Tyler had a CT scan Tuesday that confirmed that his cancer is back in his lungs. He has been out for the past few days visiting with friends and living life as he should. I don't really know what to say right now- we're sad and mad- but not really shocked- we've been doing this for so long that nothing seems to surprise us anymore. For now there is no plan for chemotherapy or treatment. They will treat his symptoms as they arise and keep him as comfortable and as active as possible."

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Tyler did everything he wanted to do before dying minus one thing - he really wanted to vote in the November election. He did get to vote in the primary though, Connie said.

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Though still feeling the loss of her oldest son, Connie said she tries to focus on the positive.

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"I had a friend tell me Tyler wasn't dying, he lived. It's all in your attitude. If you sit around and mope than your life will be miserable. I don't k now how many times I've told my kids that life isn't fair, so what are you going to do about it?" she said. "I cry every day but I can't sit around being miserable. Tyler didn't want us to be like that."

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Tyler is survived by his mother, Connie, father, Todd, brother, Kirk and sister, Sara. Connie Copley updates Tyler's Web site which can be found at www.caringbridge.org/ga/tylercopley