By JESSE GRAHAM
A BELOVED Healesville High School teacher received a heartwarming gift from her students last week when a cancer fundraiser donation brought her to tears.
Sue Contarino, who is also known as Sue Tanner, was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer last year.
She was given $1500 from students at Healesville High School in an assembly on Friday 23 May after students banded together to run a fundraiser at the school on 4 April to raise money for Ms Contarino’s medical bills.
Accompanying the donation was a gift from the students and LOTE teacher Ashleigh Coleman – 1000 paper cranes, linked together.
Ms Coleman explained that in Japanese mythology, creating 1000 origami cranes is said to grant a person eternal good luck and one wish.
She said that the students had wanted to create the cranes for the teacher.
An emotional Ms Contarino took the podium and thanked the school and the students for their efforts in raising the money, which will go towards outstanding bills.
She told the massed students that she didn’t want to take the donation quietly, and wanted to share the story of the “right-hand” blow of her cancer diagnosis, and of the “left-hand blow” of the news of the death of her nephew Josh Matthews.
“I want to encourage you – I want to say to you that, no matter what you’re going through in your life, you can get through it,” Ms Contarino said.
She urged the students to keep friends and family that they trust and that they can rely on for when things get tough, and that, though they may earn battle scars through their life, they can make it through.
Showing her “battle scar” to the students, Ms Contarino removed her hat and revealed her hairless head, to roaring applause from the crowd.
In finishing her speech, Ms Contarino said she was now in remission, with an 80 per cent chance of survival, and that she would return to the school to teach.
“I love you guys. I’m coming back. I’m coming back!”
