A 16-year-old student fighting a rare bone cancer was presented nearly $1,600 in donations by a rival school during a high school football game Nov. 1, and that gesture lifted her spirits so much that she plans to join her fellow cheerleaders on the sidelines at this Friday's game.
Mechanicsburg High School junior Ellie Herdman, diagnosed with osteosarcoma in May, attended her school's final regular season football game at Greeneview High School on Nov. 1.
A cheerleader since her freshman year, Herdman knew her Champaign County school had to win to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2008. While they did win 20-14 in overtime, the game took a backseat to Ellie.
"She's a student in our conference, so we [need] to help her through this," Greeneview junior Tanner Hudson said, according to a statement issued by Greeneview Schools.
Hudson led the campaign to raise the money for Ellie, in conjunction with a service group at the school and Ramtourage, the Greeneview student section.
In addition to promoting the event using a school-wide video announcement, he sold yellow ribbons to display throughout the stadium and designed T-shirts that read, "Ramnation for Ellie." The proceeds went to Ellie and her family.
At halftime, Ellie was presented with $1,580 and a dozen roses from Greeneview students. Unprompted, she walked to the student section to thank the crowd.
The halftime event was only part of a campaign organized by Hudson, who learned about Ellie's story through Facebook.
"When we first arrived, it was just a sea of yellow," her mother, Shawn Herdman, said. "We were taken aback."
She said Greeneview's cheerleaders, each wearing a yellow "Ramnation for Ellie" T-shirt, presented her daughter with yellow carnations.
"I didn't want this [disease] to interfere with me having a normal life," Ellie told whio.com on Tuesday night. "I didn't know what to expect [Friday], but they really struck a chord."
Neither Ellie nor her family knew what was going to happen at the game. Shawn Herdman said all she knew was that the Mechanicsburg and Greeneview athletic directors asked her daughter to attend the game.
Because of chemotherapy and the cooler weather, Ellie hasn't been able to cheer at the last two football games. But her mother said Ellie will be at Mechanicsburg's home playoff game against National Trail this Friday night.
"I feel so blessed," Ellie said. "What those people, what those strangers did.... They put me in good spirits."
-- Contributing Writer Mickey Shuey is a senior at the University of Dayton.
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