Survivor Sells Homework Passes
MONEY FROM FUNDRAISER TO BENEFIT ST. JUDE
Mandy Bogart is a fighter on a mission. The McDonald County High School senior is a childhood cancer survivor and currently serves as the head of a collection campaign for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Mandy recently designed “Homework Passes” to sell to fellow students in need of amnesty. Students can purchase up to eight passes and are allowed to use one pass per subject for the remainder of the year. One pass costs $5. Three passes can be purchased for $10.
All proceeds from the sale of these passes will be donated to St. Jude to fund continued medical research.
Mandy and a group of volunteers sell the passes during seminar and lunch each day. After a week of vending, she reported raising $550.
“Principal Leach has been very supportive,” said Mandy. “I also appreciate the teachers who are accepting the passes and participating.”
Mandy was drawn to the project because of the level of service St. Jude shows its patients and cancer patients around the world. She knows first-hand what it’s like to be faced with a life-altering diagnosis in the blink of an eye.
“They don’t make patients pay for anything,” she said. “St. Jude paid for all of my treatment, travel and housing while I was there.”
“They also release their research findings globally to improve treatment for patients everywhere,” added Heather Bogart, Mandy’s mother. “And the more research that is conducted, the more lives that are saved.”
Receiving the diagnosis
Mandy was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), a cancer of the blood and
bone marrow, the summer before her freshman year.
Initially, she was diagnosed with the flu but, as days passed and medication failed, she grew weaker.
“She couldn’t even walk up stairs,” said Heather. “I took her to another facility for a second evaluation and, within 30 minutes, the doctor diagnosed her with ALL.”
Mandy was then transported to Little Rock via ambulance to receive a biopsy. A traveling nurse at the hospital told Heather about a St. Jude-affiliated hospital in Memphis where Mandy could apply for treatment. The nurse noted the specialist only accepts one patient per month, so the odds were slim.
“We talked about it, we prayed about it, and she was ultimately accepted and transferred,” said Heather.
Mandy estimates she spent close to eight months at St. Jude over the next year, receiving IV chemo treatments.
Her parents, Heather and Brian, set to work collaborating with school officials and hospital representatives to prepare an education plan for Mandy while also caring for their six other children living at home.
“They were so dedicated. I knew this family was special. I was wowed from the day I met them,” said math teacher and mentor, Darbi Stancell.
Due to how sick she was, Mandy was unable to set foot on campus her entire freshman year. She stayed up-todate on lessons through Skype and completed assignments through email.
“She Skype’d from the car, she’d Skype everywhere,” Stancell laughed.
When asked about the challenges of remotely teaching a student, Stancell said Mandy made it easy.
“The most frustrating part was when the technology faltered,” she said. “Or feeling like I couldn’t get what I wanted across on Skype.”
Distance wasn’t the only obstacle, though.
“There were times where I was so sick from chemo that I couldn’t do work for months. Then I had to do weeks of work at a time,” Mandy said.
Mandy was allowed to return to school her sophomore year, but only at times when her immune system could withstand the shared environment. Even then, she was required to take extra precautions like wearing a surgical face mask and frequently using hand sanitizer.
“People stared at the mask at first, but they eventually got used to it,” she said. “I was the most nervous about germs.”
Mandy’s boyfriend, Isaac Gardner, donned a mask too until she became more comfortable.
Even though Mandy was actively enrolled in school at this time, she missed at least one day a week in order to travel to St. Jude for IV chemotherapy and was hospitalized on numerous other occasions.
Despite the absences, treatment and months of debilitating illness, Mandy consistently excelled. She is currently ranked Number 4 in her graduating class of 276, has a weighted GPA of 4.1 and received a 30 on her ACT. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Marching and Concert Band, Academic Club and International Club. She is also active in volunteering for Ronald McDonald House Charity, St. Jude and various animal charity organizations.
“This project is very near and dear to the hearts of everyone involved because they witnessed what Mandy was going through and how it affected her,” said Heather. “They also witnessed her resilience and how she didn’t want cancer to stop her from being who she was.”
Mandy received her last dose of chemotherapy in January 2017, but she regularly returns to St. Jude for check-ups.
It Doesn’t End Here
St. Jude’s dedication to its patients doesn’t end with treatment. While Mandy was undergoing treatment, friends, family and teachers were permitted to visit and stay with her.
She was also able to attend St. Jude’s Prom with her boyfriend.
“They provided the venue, the dress, my date’s tux, and full hair and make-up,” she said. “It was awesome.”
Once Mandy was in good health, she was granted a rare opportunity through the Make-A-Wish Foundation in the form of a 10-day trip to Australia. She and her family were able to swim along the Great Barrier Reef and splash with octopii, eels and even a stray shark.
To Donate
Those wishing to make a dedicated donation to St. Jude can do so online at www.stjude.org or in person at MCHS with attention to Mandy Bogart. Checks must be payable to St. Jude.