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| Principal, Veronica Kinsey | |
| Phone 734-878-5616 Fax: 734-878-2383 Email: mrskinsey@stmarypinckney.org |
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Berger scholarship Tricia’s story
The doctors recommended emergency surgery as a first course of treatment. Tricia and her family agreed to the surgery, but there was a problem with the timing. Her cousin and best friend was getting married on May 24 and Tricia was in the wedding. She was told she wouldn’t be able to go to the wedding because she would still be in the hospital recovering from surgery. She didn’t like that answer. Tricia was determined to go to the wedding and despite having the surgery…she did. During her stay in the hospital the doctors detected a small spot on her liver. A biopsy was performed and revealed that the cancer had spread. Her treatment options were very limited and her prognosis was grim. Statistics show that liver cancer patients only survive a few years after diagnosis. Tricia was determined she was not going to be another statistic. She was going to beat the cancer on her own terms…and she did. For the next year and a half Tricia was not only cancer free, but very busy. The life she lead was that of a normal college student. She happily (and sometimes frantically) juggled classes, work, social activities, and family functions. Unfortunately, this period didn’t last. By the end of 2004 her liver cancer was not only back, but it was inoperable. At this point, some might have given up and left school, but not Tricia. She graduated summa cum laude from Aquinas College in 2005 with a degree in music education. She didn’t just want to finish her degree program, she wanted to use it. In August 2005, Tricia was hired by St. Mary School as a part time music teacher. Her faith and continued determination carried her through her first year. She was a very private person so her medical condition was largely unknown to the school community. She only wanted to teach and share her love of music with her students. In the fall of 2006 it was obvious Tricia lost weight. As September turned to October, she started moving slower but continued to teach. By November it was apparent something was very wrong, but she struggled on. She was concerned about letting people down. She wanted to make sure she was doing the job she was hired to do. As a result she held out until the end of December. She was determined to pull off a successful Christmas program…and she did. That was the last time Tricia was with her students. After the program she decided to take some time to regain her strength. Her intention was to take only a few weeks off but she never made it back to school. In the early morning hours of March 30, 2007 Tricia passed away in her family home. Throughout the last few years one thing has been made very clear. Tricia was determined to accomplish the goals she set for herself. She wanted to study and teach music and a terminal diagnosis wasn’t going to stop her. We as her family are carrying on her wish to teach the love of music to others through the creation of the Tricia T. Berger Music Scholarship. It is our hope that this scholarship will inspire others to not only love music, but possibly teach it to future generations. We were determined to find a way to keep Tricia’s memory and love of music alive, and with this scholarship…we did. To be eligible for the scholarship you need to have attended St. Mary School in Pinckney for at least one year, be a student currently in grades K-11, and are or will be taking, private music lessons in the fall. For inquires and applications please contact St. Mary School by mail: 10601 Dexter-Pinckney Rd. Pinckney, MI 48169 or by phone: 734-878-5616. If you would like to donate money to the scholarship fund you may make a check out to Tricia Berger Music Scholarship and send it to the above address. The school is holding a benefit spaghetti dinner on Friday May 16 at 5:30pm to gather donations for the fund. By: Lynn M. Trierweiler
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It
was the type of moment that people dread the most. In May 2003, at the age of
21, Tricia Berger was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. Everyone was shocked.
Colon cancer? In a young woman? Isn’t it an old man’s disease? As anyone who has
had a family member with cancer knows, cancer does not discriminate. It strikes
anyone, any time, any where.