Tamara'S Story

Tamara Mayo Story

Tamara is a devoted wife and mother and currently teaches 5th grade at Thousand Oaks Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas.  She was voted Teacher of the Year (2010-11).

 

How You Can Help Make It Happen

Our 5^th grade team is faced with a challenge.  Our original “teacher” response is to fix the problem or find a way to fix it.  This time we can’t.  We do not have the answers for Tamara.  However, we have an idea for her family. Please help us make Tamara's dreams come true and fulfill her promise to her family that she will take them to Disney World, the happiest place on earth.

 

Email:
info@friendsoftamara.org

Helping Tamara

 

Tamara's Story

Tamara found out in January that her breast cancer was back.  We realize that this seems to be more common these days, but as you continue reading, you will see where this story is very uncommon.  Four years ago, Tamara was 37 years old with a 6 year old daughter and 3 year old twin girls.  She had recently been divorced when she faced this horrible disease as a single parent.  She lost her hair, became very sick from the chemo & radiation but remained a positive, loving, faith-filled mother and teacher.  Because of her positive attitude and continual faith in God, her life was on the upswing.  She began dating again, a sweet man whose children attended the same preschool as her twins.  She and Scott hit it off immediately, but soon after they started dating Tamara once again received devastating news…the cancer was back.  Chemo & radiation were to start all over again except this time the cancer was inoperable.  The sickness and hair loss returned, but Scott did not leave.  At the end of Summer 2010, they were married, and they are now a blended family with 5 children.  They were hoping that they had fulfilled the “through sickness” part of their vows when news hit again in January.  Tamara’s cancer is back for the 3^rd time in her lymph-nodes.  She received this news on a Friday—met with her surgeon on Tuesday and had surgery the following day and returned to work the following Monday—teaching, laughing, and being an extraordinary example to all who know her.  

Tamara's Promise

After her first battle with breast cancer, Tamara promised her eldest daughter that she would take her to Disney World as soon as she finished treatment.  True to her word, she finished treatment one day and was off to Disney World the following day.  No hair & all.  The twins did not go—they were so young.  She now has a blended family that is not only faced with overcoming the simple difficulties of joining households, but now the mom of the family is sick again.  We would like to raise enough money to send Tamara and her family to Disney World this summer.  She promised her twins after her second battle she would take them to Disney, now this has happened.  We would like to help her keep that promise.  Tamara and Scott were in the process of saving for Disney when the following occurred…earlier in the year the family dog was hit by a car, and they incurred some pretty high vet bills.  At that time she joked that now they would never go to Disney.  At the time our 5^th grade team was telling her she should go even if she had to go in debt for it.  We are not the type to encourage others to go into more debt, but in the back of our minds we were thinking “What if it comes back?”  We just never imagined it would be back the following month.  Her daughters are now 7 and 11, and they have spent most of their lives with their mommy sick and without hair.   Tamara is now taking a chemo pill causing a very painful reaction in her hands & feet.   Yet, in spite of all of this, she continues to give it her all everyday at work and at home without complaining.  She is truly an example for all of us.  Please help us with our teammate, teacher of the year, and most of all OUR FRIEND.