Statistics reveal that approximately 12.4% of U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer at some point in their life. Although breast cancer survival rates have been improving since 1989, this doesn’t take away from the saddening diagnosis thousands of women receive each year.
For one Stockton, California elementary school principal, Ms. Alissa, was one of many women who received the devastating news that she has breast cancer. But, instead of staying hush about the situation, she shared her experience. Then, in an attempt to distract the principal, her students created pink ribbons and gathered together to sing the supportive tune, ‘Lean On Me’ by Bill Withers. This gesture was certainly one of the sweetest and most selfless things one could do to show love for their principal.
In a beautiful video featuring the students’ rendition of Bill’s beloved song, hundreds of kids and school staff are arranged in a precise organization outdoors, holding up their pink ribbons. Just seconds into the students singing the song, I’m already shedding tears!
Then, the camera pans onto a stage where Ms. Alissa is sitting in a chair in a pink dress. She too is already getting teary-eyed.
As the students sing the lyrics, “You just call on me brother when you need a hand. We all need somebody to lean on,” the first thought to come to mind is that this is the perfect verse for Ms. Alissa, as surely, she might feel like she is alone during her struggles and may feel like a burden to reach out to others for help.
In reality, we really do need to lean on others when we are going through difficult times. All of us, regardless of what we are dealing with, should remember that we are not alone on this planet for a reason. We are social creatures that deserve to thrive off of the love, care, and support from others in order to circulate that love back into the universe.
From the tears streaming down Ms. Alissa’s face, it is clear that she felt a huge sense of relief from the students’ performance, realizing that she is never alone and will always have someone there to comfort her through her battle.
Make sure to watch the video below to hear the beautiful tune sung by the elementary school students who show their support to someone in need. It’s incredibly sweet and heart-warming.
Please share the video on Facebook to express your love for those suffering from breast cancer. If you can, consider donating to non-profit breast cancer organizations to show extra support! With the proper research, we can not just find a potential cure for breast cancer but help reduce the number of diagnoses, to begin with.
