A beloved elementary school teacher in Virginia died following a courageous fight with an extremely aggressive brain cancer.
Kerry Baker, a music teacher at Frances Hazel Reid Elementary – and mother of three daughters – passed away this week after being diagnosed with Glioblastoma, a rare disorder that typically impacts older patients.
Earlier this year, a GoFundMe campaign was started on behalf of the family, which has gained more steam following the educator’s death.
Organizers of the fundraiser made note that Baker and her family has served the Loudoun County Public Schools system for nearly three decades, with her husband teaching in the district and her daughters also becoming educators locally and elsewhere.
According to her family, Baker began having headaches in August 2022, though she continued to work through the summer in advance of the upcoming school year until she was plagued by vision issued and took herself to a doctor for further evaluation.
It was there that an MRI revealed her true malady, and Baker was admitted to the hospital, where she underwent brain surgery to remove a “softball-sized tumor,” which led to months of radiation and chemotherapy treatments.