A class of students has given their teacher the best possible send-off before the summer break – which has since taken the Internet by storm to go viral.
The student choir of Public School 22 in Staten Island, New York, called their teacher, Adriana Lopez, into the main hall on their second-last day of school and sat her on-stage, telling her they had a surprise for her.
The teacher sobbed uncontrollably as the pupils broke-out into a perfect and powerful rendition of Martina McBride’s ‘I'm Gonna Love You Through It’ – as a way of letting her know she is not alone as she battles breast cancer.
Watch the moving performance:
The song – which is about fiercely loving someone battling the illness – prompted the teacher to thank the pupils at the end as she let them know she plans to fight the disease and return to school to teach.
Having been posted onto YouTube and shared on Facebook just over a week ago, the clip is fast-approaching 17 million hits, with viewers praising the students for showering their teacher with pink carnations during the performance.
Mrs Lopez had a cancerous tumour removed after her diagnosis but, shortly after, learned the cancer had spread and began chemotherapy.
The teacher sobs uncontrollably during the song (via YouTube)
Pupils held-up pink carnations as a way of letting the teacher know she is not alone in her battle (via YouTube)
The fourth-grade teacher recently finished her sixth treatment, but still has two more to go. She then will have 35 days of radiation treatment – taking place mostly when term begins again – which she says she plans to do every day after school.
Speaking with today.com, Mrs Lopez said she couldn’t believe how much support she’s received from “all these little kids who don’t know what cancer really is.”
Describing how life gets that bit harder with each passing treatment, she still had some strong words of wisdom for others affected by the illness: “There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, so just keep crossings those days off on the calendar until you reach your end.”
