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Huron Academy Fourth Grade Teacher Krystal Gray looks on as Dr. James Snyder, neuro-oncologist with the Henry Ford Health Hermelin Brain Tumor Center, takes questions from Gray’s students on June 11. A scan of Gray’s brain tumor is on the board behind them.
Photo by Dean Vaglia
CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Students at Huron Academy in Clinton Township had a change of plans on June 11, as they had a meet and greet with a very special guest.
Days away from the end of their school year, students in Krystal Gray’s fourth grade class were visited by Dr. James Snyder of the Henry Ford Health Hermelin Brain Tumor Center. Snyder was one of the doctors who helped treat Gray’s brain cancer and was visiting as a thank you to the students for raising over $1,000 to help fund the center’s cancer research.
“(Meeting the kids was) super inspiring, I love it,” Snyder said. “My mom was a teacher in elementary school and I’m a big believer that elementary school kids are the future. When Krytal told me that her students had done this, I thought, ‘Gosh, I have to get out there and say thank you to those kids.’ And frankly, I’m super motivated from being here.”
Students and the community at Huron Academy had supported Gray and her fight with brain cancer since it was first diagnosed in 2022, when she had a seizure while driving home from work. As Gray underwent initial treatments and began care with Henry Ford Health, students and parents helped support Gray and her family with cards and letters of encouragement, providing food for a meal train and raising funds through T-shirt, bracelet and earring sales.
The process to treat Gray’s brain cancer was taxing. Addressing her astrocytoma — a form of brain cancer detected in under 20,000 patients a year — required a mix of approaches. The tumor was first targeted by laser ablation, where doctors use a super-heated needle to poke at and disrupt the brain tumor at four different points. Laser ablation was followed by 30 sessions of radiation therapy, and attempts were made to treat the tumor with oral chemotherapy.
Gray’s treatment required her to step away from the classroom due to the stresses of anti-cancer therapy and procedures. This was one of the hardest parts of the whole process for Gray, a 20-year teacher at Huron Academy who had a calling for education ever since she was a child instructing her first class of stuffed animals.
“It was very hard,” Gray said of her teaching hiatus. “It was very hard for me not to be here. I would call and check on everybody and vice versa, but it was a very hard time for me.”
Gray made a return to the classroom for the 2023-24 school year as an aide. This served as a test run to see if she was in the condition to take on the full duties of teaching again. When the year ended, she jumped at the opportunity to helm a class for the 2024-25 school year.
“They offered it to me again, but I said, ‘No, I need to be the teacher. I need to have my classroom back,’” Gray said. “I wanted to get back full time into the classroom because that’s what I’m meant to do. I’m meant to be with the kids. I’m meant to teach. I’m meant to bond with the kids. It’s just who I am.”
In her first year back as a teacher, Gray was open with her students about what she experienced and about some of the risks and precautions that were present given her brain cancer. As Snyder’s discussion with the students turned toward the subject of seizures, students ran through the various tasks of what to do and who to call if Gray ever had one while teaching.
In early May, Gray worked with school leadership to arrange a spirit week. For as little as $1, students at Huron Academy could get out of their uniforms and wear clothes according to the day’s theme. Donations came in from around Huron Academy’s campuses, and the decision was made by the students to award the $1,316.78 to the Hermelin Brain Tumor Center to support the discovery of a brain cancer cure.
As of now, Gray’s tumor has stabilized. She undergoes MRI scans every four months and speaks with Snyder about any developments with the astrocytoma. Snyder says patients with this kind of tumor can live for a long time, and Gray is using her time to help raise awareness of brain cancer and help push for research into brain cancers. She plans to take part in the Head for the Cure 5K on Sunday, Sept. 14 as part of the team “KK’s Cancer Warriors :)” and encourages people to seek diagnosis if they suspect having a brain tumor.
