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Girl Gives Her Savings To Fight Cancer

By Staff | Jun 10, 2009

New Martinsville fourth grade student Abby Milliken is pictured at the New Martinsville Grade School Relay For Life Walk May 6.

Abby Milliken is no stranger to cancer. She recently lost both her great-grandparents, Don and Jean Crouser, to cancer in the past few months. In addition to her great-grandparents, she lost her beloved first grade teacher, Lee Ann Schambach, to cancer in April.

While New Martinsville School was collecting money for the Relay For Life Walk she and her brother, Alex, both took in bags and bottles of change to do their part. However, Abby took it a step further. With cancer affecting her life with such an impact in such a short time, she was desperate to help others affected with the disease so maybe their families won’t have to experience the loss she had.

On her own, without her parents, Charles (R.L.) and Mary Kay knowledge, Abby got all of her money together that she got from her birthdays, gifts, and allowances and took it in to donate to the Relay For Life. All together she donated $79, which is every cent she had to help others with the fight.

Abby says that one day she hopes to be a singer and do concerts to raise money to help find a cure. She also said that she doesn’t want the cancer patients or families to have to suffer through the disease and have to bear the loss caused by it. She hopes that one day she can make a bigger impact than just $79 and encourages other kids to join her in the fight to find a cure.

Altogether, the students at NMS raised approximately $9,700, far exceeding their goal of $5,000. That support was undoubtedly bolstered by their desire to fight in the memory of Schambach.

New Martinsville School did suffer a tremendous loss with Schambach losing her battle. She was a teacher for many years and has been Abby’s father’s teacher and her brother’s teacher this year.

It was a shock to Abby to find out her lovely, active teacher was sick with cancer right after losing her great-grandparents a few months before.

Abby encourages everyone to join the fight to find a cure in honor of Schambach who had been such a staple at NMS.

Abby’s parents are very proud of her to take the steps on her own, to honor her beloved teacher and grandparents by using her own money to join the fight for a cure.

Her fellow classmates were also very proud of her because she led the class to win a pizza party for collecting the most money of any other class at NMS.

Abby and her family will walk for the Wetzel Chronicle Team at this year’s Relay For Life Walk and she will also sing for all the attendees during the Relay event June 19-20. The relay begins at 7 p.m. on the Magnolia High School track.

Everyone is welcome to either join the fight or simply stop by and experience Relay for Life.

Abby is also the granddaughter of the late Wayne and Helen Milliken of New Martinsville and Beverly Crouser of Belpre, Ohio.