Just months after transferring from Brooklyn to shorten her commute and teach at a school in Staten Island, NY, Adriana Lopez was diagnosed with breast cancer. She continued to pour her heart into work throughout chemotherapy treatments — she was often one of the first teachers to arrive at school and the last to leave. After she finishes her final two chemotherapy treatments in the coming weeks, she will begin radiation treatment, which she plans to do every day after school.

"Going to work does help because it keeps you busy, and no one keeps you busier than 25 kids in a class," she said. She is so grateful for all of the support from her new students (the fifth-grade chorus gathered to sing her a song on one of the last days of the school year) and coworkers.

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