The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Student’s wish is school’s dream
Student with brain tumor uses her Make-A-Wish for new choir room at school
Katy Lessick, who is battling a malignant brain tumor, could have had just about anything she wanted — from a trip anywhere in the world to meeting a famous celebrity to having any kind of shopping spree.
Instead the 18-yearold high school senior, described by many as having the biggest heart, took the wish granted to her by Make-A-Wish Foundation and gave it away to Chardon High School.
Katy has a passion for music and has relied on that to get her through her twoyear battle with a brain tumor, as she has been in and out of school.
Fritz Streiff, the choir director for both Chardon High School and Middle School, has known Katy since she was in elementary school. He has worked with her in choir since the sixth grade.
According to Streiff, Katy came to him last February and told him she was eligible for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and she wanted to use her wish to give the school a world-class choir room.
“She has always enjoyed music and felt this would be a great way to give back and find a lot of joy in the midst of the challenges that have been on her the last several years,” Streiff said. “I was beyond floored. She and I, I would say, were both pretty giddy from the beginning about the opportunity.”
The way the choir room came together was beyond expectations, according to Streiff.
“It has taken a village to make this project come together,” he said. “Katy and I did a lot of dreaming and planning about what would best impact the students and we came up with a list of five items, like acoustic paneling for the room, chairs for the room. We talked about trying to round out the risers so the students can hear and see each other better and a new piano.”
When asked what the new choir room means to the school, Streiff said that it brings a new level of excitement and professionalism that allows the students to take themselves seriously. He hopes the students will take music more seriously and find as much passion in it as Katy does.
The new choir room was unveiled Jan. 14. Katy, after cutting through the Make-A-Wish ribbon taped across the doorway to the room, entered along with her younger brother Wyatt and her mother Stephanie to find it filled with friends, teachers and Make-A-Wish associates.
Katy was then immediately joined by the rest of the choir to perform two songs. Streiff then presented her with additional surprises, including a keyboard, a conductors baton, a gift certificate for sheet music, a couple of music books, a gig bag, a gift card to The Cleveland Orchestra to buy a student fan card and six months of voice lessons.
Isabella Marini, a Make-A-Wish program associate from the Cleveland office, said Katy has used music as a rock throughout her condition and it has been the one thing that has stayed stable for her.
“She wanted to give so much back to the person who has given her so much and helped her through her condition and that was Mr. Streiff,” Marini said.
She described Katy’s decision to use her wish to give back as very rare.
“It takes a truly inspirational woman or a child to decide to give back their wish. That’s not what usually happens,” Marini said. “You can go on a marvelous trip, you can go on a shopping spree, but that’s not what happened. She choose to give back to the school that has given her so much.”
Marini said she was in disbelief when she heard Katy’s request and thought the act was inspiring.
Clare Myeroff, Chardon High School junior, fellow choir member and friend of Katy, said she could just tell from the time she met Katy that she had one of the biggest hearts of any person she knew.
“She loves singing more than anything and she just wanted to pay it forward,” Clare said. “She wasn’t even sure that she was going to be here to see this change. She just wanted to give it to the students in the future so they could have the same love of music that she does and I can’t think of anything more amazing that she could have done.”
Jaden Linn, a senior and also a fellow choir member and friend of Katy since kindergarten, said her heart melted when she heard about all that Katy planned to do.
“She wanted all this. She wanted the best for everyone,” Jaden said. “We have gone through difficult times and Katy has a passion for music and she gets frustrated when we can’t hear parts or something gets messed up. She wanted the best for all the students so we can make the best music and enjoy it.”
Katy said she was in shock and that she didn’t know what she was expecting but it turned out to be beyond anything she thought of.
Her mom said that Katy knew from the first moment that this is what she wanted to do.
“I have a really good relationship with Jesus and he has brought me through some really hard times and he said that you should love your neighbor more than yourself,” Katy said when asked what made her decide to use her wish for the school. “I feel like it was a good idea to just pass things on and share God’s love and this is the best way I could think to do this.”
Her mother said she was very proud of Katy and that she is an incredible girl with a very big heart.
“She is very selfless and she inspires us daily,” We are really proud of her. Music and God is everything to her and we are really proud of this legacy that she wanted to leave behind.”