ALS Diagnosis. Please help our beautiful Tanya.

This October, at the age of 47, Tanya was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. Sadly there is no cure for ALS and once a diagnosis has been given, life expectancy is between 3 and 5 years. This completely unexpected news has devastated all who know and love her, but none more than her three teenage children.

Tanya is a single mother and the sole support for her family. Unfortunately, due to the relentless progression of this unforgiving disease, she can no longer continue her livelihood of driving a school bus. Tanya is an amazing lady who shows love and compassion for people on a daily basis. These traits helped make her a wonderful school bus driver. The well known love she has for her students is not only reciprocated by them but also their parents.

We've been incredibly blessed to work with Tanya and have seen her complete devotion to helping others. When the bus driver lounge became overwhelmed with items left on our buses, Tanya stepped up and started a lost and found Facebook page. On her own time, without pay, she photographed and catalogued hundreds of hats, gloves, jackets and water bottles. She then uploaded all of the information to Facebook so parents could locate their children's lost items.

In addition to being our devoted union representative, Tanya also went above and beyond for co-workers.  She made lunches for them and when a fellow bus driver had a birthday, would always make sure they had a sweet treat waiting for them in the lounge. In April of 2023 Tanya was selected to receive our county's "Excellence in Transportation" award for our school district. This was a huge honor and no one deserved it more.

Over the years, Tanya has received countless gifts from her students and their parents. However none of that can compare to the sweet, heartfelt notes that her students have written her. Their love for her cannot be measured and she clearly means the world to them.

This past week was Tanya's last at work. Parents, students and school district staff came out in huge numbers to encourage her and say goodbye. There were many tears and hugs in what was a tremendous outpouring of love for her. Tanya is truly a beautiful soul. 

Please consider donating to her fund. Even a small amount will make a huge impact.

Thank you and God bless.