Tolling for thou art cancer free

For Sarah Hamlin LaFleur, her journey as an educator has been following a winding path. The twists and turns have in large part been a result of her treatment for colon cancer.
Her journey has now lead her to being named one of two new assistant principals at Ville Platte High School along with being declared cancer free.
On being cancer free, LaFleur said, “It’s an amazing feeling. I don’t really have words for it. I was surprised because the staff at M.D. Anderson didn’t tell me ahead of time. I did my scans, and my doctor said I was cancer free and they would like me to ring the bell.”
She continued, “Luckily, I had my two oldest sons with me. They were really excited for me, and that was probably the best part because they were old enough and remember me really sick. It was really special for them to watch me ring the bell and know it’s over in a sense.”
LaFleur’s journey in education began while still in school at Sacred Heart. “I have always been interested in education,” LaFleur said. “There were a couple years in high school when I thought I wanted to be a doctor. But I knew deep down that education was where I belonged. I can remember telling my doctor, when he asked why I would ever want to be a teacher, that every profession is made possible because of teachers. I looked at him and said ‘You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for teachers.’”
While teaching 6th grade at Ville Platte High School in August of 2014, LaFleur’s journey first began toward its winding path when she was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer.
“I would get episodes where I didn’t feel real well,” she said, “and I had one when I was in the classroom. I left and scheduled a colonoscopy for two days later. I was shocked and scared. I didn’t think that was what the doctor was going to find when he scoped.”
LaFleur continued, “We had to do surgery right away to take out the mass and test the lymph nodes. They removed about 11 inches of my colon and took out some lymph nodes. The cancer had gotten through to one of the lymph nodes, and that’s the reason I had to do chemo.”
Once learning the prognosis, LaFleur decided she would not be able to work that year and took medical sick leave.
LaFleur described her treatment as rough. She explained, “I did chemo every week, and it was all day. I would get there at 8 a.m., and usually I was the last patient to leave. We had to do the drip really slow because it affected me a lot. I would go home with a chemo pump for 48 hours. It would knock me down for a week. Then I would have my good days and would do it all over again.”
One bright spot for LaFleur while undergoing her treatment was that it was close to home at Savoy Cancer Center in Mamou.
“I went to M.D. Anderson when they determined it was definitely cancer,” LaFleur explained. “My brother-in-law, Dr. Jake LaFleur, suggested I go there because of my age and because I have no family history of colon cancer. They gave me the protocol on what chemo to do. Then, I met Dr. Rainey at Savoy and decided to stay close to home.”
LaFleur further explained the benefits of undergoing treatment in Mamou. “It was a huge advantage because I had someone to go with me every time I went for treatments,” she said. “We went less than 15 minutes down the road. The staff over there was amazing. It was comfortable to be there.”
After a year away from the classroom, LaFleur was able to start back at Ville Platte High in 2015. But, her journey in education took another turn at that point.
As she said, “When I came back, our principal at the time, Kelli LaFleur, asked if I would teach English III American Literature to the junior class. I had always been an elementary and middle school teacher.”
LaFleur continued, “I took a year off and came back a high school teacher. I loved it, and it was a good change. It was a good time for a change because I was coming back and starting fresh. It worked out really well.”
After four years of teaching high school English, LaFleur is now an assistant principal.
“As I progressed in my career as a teacher,” she expressed, “I realized I loved working in leadership roles. I was often paired with teachers in a mentor and/or lead teacher role. I really enjoyed helping teachers develop and learn. I decided, about six years ago, that a masters degree in educational leadership was something that I really wanted to pursue and was lucky to have a great mentor, Mrs. Kelli LaFleur, to encourage and support me as I worked through graduate school.
“Being an assistant principal allows me to work with teachers and staff,” LaFleur continued, “but I am still connected to the students and able to play a role in their educational lives.”
On reflecting back upon her journey in education, LaFleur said, “I am lucky to have worked at Ville Platte High School. I can honestly say I work with amazing teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, and students. I look forward to an exciting and amazing school year with all of our veteran as well as new Bulldogs.
She concluded, “This is my 14th year of teaching. I have now been at Ville Platte High School going on 12 years. As Superintendant Lazard said of me at a school board meeting recently, I bleed purple and white now. I have so much time and energy invested in Ville Platte High. I cannot see myself anywhere else. I hope that I can continue to help the teachers, students, and staff reach our ultimate goal of becoming an A school.