Cancer, a two syllable word that can especially strike anxiety right into the body, has become an emotional topic worldwide.

Senior Aliyah Johnson was not emotionally prepared when she found out she was diagnosed with Stage Four Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoblastic Lymphoma.

“I felt like I just had my life taken away from me. It was so much at one time,” Johnson said. “I definitely didn’t expect that. I felt lost, depressed and scared.”

When finding out about Johnson’s cancer, business teacher and cheer coach Patty Lenning knew she was going to be there for her in every way she could.

“When I was in high school I had a neighbor that had the same type of disease and at that time it was not curable,” Lenning said. “So it just gave me a really bad feeling and sick to my stomach.”

Lenning made sure to be there for Johnson because of past experience in high school.

“I’ve just been trying to do things to encourage her when she was going through her treatment,” Lenning said.

Lenning said that the cancer does not stop her from cheering.

“This year she is down to fewer chemo treatments, so she comes to practice when she can,” Lenning said.

Lenning feels at ease when she found out that Johnson was feeling encouraged by the treatment.

“It has gotten easier because we see she is doing better and she seems encouraged by her treatment,” Lenning said.