Her alma mater chipped in to give her “true quality of life.”
Bishop Canevin High School students are very kind, and they really like a break from wearing their uniforms.
That was evident from their recent response to helping a former student in need.
With other former students and parents, they helped that person immensely and did their East Carnegie alma mater proud.
Class of 1994’s Michael Meyer, who lives in North Carolina, got it rolling by proposing a fundraiser for his classmate Becca McKim Barrett, now of West Mifflin, who was dealing with medical issues that weren’t covered by insurance. Specifically, she needed a motorized wheelchair.
Mr. Meyer had wanted his company, Emerald Owl Productions, to host a laser light glow party fundraiser for her at the school, but COVID-19 shut down that idea. Still, school administrators agreed it was the right thing to do to help one of their own. As the saying goes, “Family is like the branches on a tree: We all grow in different directions but our roots remain as one.”
Dean of Students Joe Romano, class of 1995, put out a call to action in January. Students were invited to make donations in exchange for two “dress down” days, when they would not have to wear their uniforms. That raised $2,000.
That, in turn, inspired a generous donation from a parent who challenged Principal Michael Joyce to use his weekly email blast to reach out to other current students’ parents. Those donations, along with some from faculty and the school’s board of directors, raised $3,000 more.
Within a matter of two weeks, the effort purchased Mrs. Barrett a $1,700 wheelchair and gave her the rest to use for other medical expenses.
Executive Director of Advancement Charles Rakaczky delivered the wheelchair to Mrs. Barrett’s home. She called it “a gamechanger.”
Originally from Moon, she once was a member of the Cavettes flag team, a cheerleader and part of the Honors Chorus. She went on to work as the associate director of The Autism Center of Pittsburgh and, after it was sold, as a home health aide. She got married and has four children, ages 17 to 25.
Her own health issues started in 2009, when she was diagnosed with lupus and began walking with a cane. Her youngest son, who has autism and Tourette syndrome, began regressing. In 2015, she suffered a miscarriage, and her youngest son was hit by a car, causing him to have a traumatic brain injury. Complications from minor surgery put her in a wheelchair. And in 2017, she was diagnosed with the vascular type of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, with four inoperable tumors on her spine.
So, she is mostly confined to bed and home, since her treatments compromise her immune system. Around then house, she uses forearm crutches. She can go out in a wheelchair, but someone has to push her, because propelling herself causes her shoulders to dislocate. The new wheelchair should allow her togo see her son play baseball in the Miracle League of the South Hills this spring. It should allow her to take her 6year-old grandson to the park — maybe even go to tour Gettysburg National Military Park.
“The chair couldn’t have come at a better time,” she says, explaining that she’s in the middle of a series of back surgeries. “I wasn’t going to be able to leave the house for a month. Now I’ll be able to go out. Being cooped up at home, stuck in bed, for an entire month is an awful thing. It really affects your mental health. Being able to avoid that is such a blessing.”
She shared with the school, “There are not adequate words to convey my gratitude. There’s always been something special about Canevin and I’m so glad to see that hasn’t changed. What you did for me was give me hope and true quality of life.”
Principal Joyce said he couldn’t be prouder of the students’ “faith-forward” response. “In times of need, this dynamic community comes together like the family they are and help each other.”
For the students, it was nice to have a break from having to wear uniforms, which “honestly it can get repetitive,” senior Matthew Mell said. But he is proud of his senior class and the rest of the student body for being comfortable with something else: the Jesuit-inspired goal of “being a person for others.’ ”