By Renee Larr
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but for Eagle Elementary School fourth-grade teacher Jayne Shubat, it’s personal.
Shubat was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1988, but she didn’t let it stop her from heading to the classroom nearly every day.
“I had a mastectomy and six rounds of chemo. I missed probably about three or four days of school during that time,” Shubat said. “I would have my chemo on Friday, so I would miss that day. I had my surgery during spring break. I had chemo through July. I went back to the surgeon the day before Thanksgiving so I wouldn’t miss any school, because I wanted to have a double mastectomy.”
Shubat, 58, speaks with her students about her battle with breast cancer because believes in the importance of building a personal relationship with each of her students.
“First and foremost, I want to make a difference in their lives,” she said. “I tell them lots of stories about my life, because I feel like to be close you have to really kind of know what the other person is going through. I share a lot of my own personal stories and bring them in to my life.”
Long before her cancer diagnosis, Shubat was a familiar face at the school. A fifth-generation Zionsville resident, she also attended Eagle Elementary. So did her husband.
“We were in the same fifth grade class,” Shubat said. “My great-grandfather and my mother both taught in Zionsville. My dream was always to teach at the school I grew up in, and that’s what I’ve been doing for the last 33 years.”
For more information on Breast Cancer Awareness month, visit nationalbreastcancer.org.