PINEVILLE, La. — Pineville High School English teacher John Neal has worked across the hall from French teacher Terri Juneau for a number of years.
Every day, he said, he would pop into Juneau's room and say, "See you tomorrow." And, every day, Juneau's response was "God willing."
Her nook of the languages department has been empty for the past several weeks.
Juneau, 54, was recently diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic Cancer.
Juneau has been a teacher for 30 years — the first five at Holy Savior Menard Central High School and past 25 at Pineville High School. She has taught thousands of students in her career, but she was more than a teacher to many.
"Some of the things she does — she tells little stories about her personal life," Neal said. "She tells students what they need to hear, and it's not always about French. It may be about the way they conduct themselves."
Neal said the news of Juneau's diagnosis shook the school, as Juneau isn't the type of teacher who sits in her class and teaches her subject. She relates to everybody.
"A lot of people were trying to figure out a way to do something to help," Neal said.
They came up with a Halloween-themed fun run from which the proceeds will go toward Juneau's medical expenses.
The Rebel Run Super Spooky 5k will be held Oct. 29 at Pineville High School.
Everyone is encouraged to attend the run in costume, a nod to Juneau's ever-present sense of humor.
"Both of my parents died within a year of each other," Neal said. "I know it sounds bad, but Terri would tell me, 'Oh, you're joining the Orphan Club.' It made me laugh, and made me feel like I wasn't alone."
Since the diagnosis, Juneau's popularity on Facebook increased tenfold. Her friends list already was packed with former students and co-workers, but when word began to spread, more and more people began to reach out to her.
Juneau's Facebook posts detail the ordeal — chemotherapy, doctor's appointments, the cost of medication — but the posts are decidedly un-weepy.
Most of them are funny, and all of them prove Juneau has not and will not give up.
Prior to the diagnosis, Juneau had been having stomach pains, which were diagnosed as pancreatitis. The prescribed medication offered no relief.
"She was supposed to have surgery on a Tuesday here in town," said Stephen Rosenwinkle, Juneau's long-time friend and roommate. "Her nephew called M.D. Anderson (in Houston) and basically refused to get off the phone until they scheduled an appointment."
It was in Houston that Juneau learned the cause of the stomach pain — a tumor on her pancreas, which had wrapped around a vein.
Rosenwinkle said the news shocked Juneau, who is otherwise healthy.
After the diagnosis, Juneau did something that only she would do. She named the tumor "Petey."
She's undergoing chemotherapy treatments in Alexandria, and she goes back in late November to see if Petey has gotten smaller, Rosenwinkle said.
"She always told me that you'd rather be dealing with your own issues than with someone else's because it could be worse," said Noelle Nolan, a Pineville graduate who worked at Pier 1 Imports with Juneau. "She just kind of has a way of putting things into a realistic perspective while making it funny at the same time. Because she sees humor in something, it allows others to see the humor, too."
Juneau took a part-time job at Pier 1 about seven years ago. Though Nolan moved on to a full-time position elsewhere, she continued to go back to Pier 1 for holiday work for the sole purpose of working with Juneau.
"She's one of those people that just lives her life so well and sees the humor in everything," Nolan said, "I mean, she named (the tumor). Everything is an adventure to her, whether it's doing inventory at Pier 1 or traveling. Everything is an experience, and I think there's something admirable about that."
Juneau's bout with Cancer is no different.
There's a photo album on Facebook titled "Giving Petey the Heave Ho," as well as albums containing photographs from her numerous trips to France with her students.
While reminiscing about Pier 1, Nolan was reminded of the time Juneau acquired "thumb polio."
"She was lifting something from the loft, and somehow she developed 'thumb polio,'" Nolan said. "There have been so many things that happened (at Pier 1) that I think about and just laugh and laugh and laugh at."
Former students Katie Moore of Baton Rouge and Jason Tudor of New Orleans have maintained Friendships with Juneau throughout their adult lives.
Moore and Tudor are close friends, and they took a high school trip to France together with Juneau and students in French I and II.
Theirs is a friendship based mostly on frivolity, with shining moments of sincere warmth and compassion.
"When she told me she hated the words 'creamy' and 'frothy' I knew we'd be lifelong friends," Tudor quipped.
"She's smarter than everyone else," Moore said. "She's sarcastic and mean and witty, all in the best way possible. She's hilarious. I can always talk to her about how dumb boys are, and she agrees. She's kind of unflappable. You can't really shock her. And she has really good handwriting."
Moore acknowledges those comments may seem strange to people who don't know Juneau. But, to those who do know her, the words are a perfect summation.
Rosenwinkle met Juneau after moving to Alexandria from Colorado.
"One of the things I noticed right off the bat was that people would start coming up to her and talking to her," he said. "In my life I've never had love shown toward me, and she's this person that gives that to everyone.
She makes an impact on people's lives, and that goes beyond being just a teacher that somebody had in high school. Now, with this fun run, I think it's time for people to go show her that."
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/7231db22e45b43c4b4bf4ae2400320f1/LA--Teacher-Cancer-Humor/
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