OLDHAM COUNTY, Ky. — For 13-year-old Cassidy Stocker, her dog Sophie is more than just her best friend.
“She is being trained to do simple tricks and to smell the growth of my tumor and to tell me if I'm getting sick as well,” Cassidy Stocker said.
In October of 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, Cassidy was diagnosed with brain cancer.
What You Need To Know
- Cassidy Stocker was diagnosed with brain cancer in October 2020
- Oldham County Schools is dropping its mask mandate starting Nov. 29 in all school buildings
- Cassidy continues to get chemo treatments every 4 weeks
- The Oldham County Board of Education has a meeting scheduled for Monday, Nov. 22
“It’s horrifying, I mean it's every parent's worst nightmare,” Cassidy’s mom Shannon Stocker said. “All you want to do is protect your children and then during the pandemic we knew something was wrong, we knew she was sick.”
Cassidy has battled cancer for more than a year and just returned back to school this year after learning from home from March of 2020 until August 2021.
“I’m thriving in school right now as I think every kid would thrive if they're actually in the building,” Cassidy said. “My math score jumped back up 12 points so it went even higher than it's ever been before just from being in school for a few weeks.”
All of that may change starting Nov. 29, as the Oldham County Board of Education voted to make masks optional in all schools. On Thursday, Nov. 11, masks became optional for high school students.
The Stocker family have even discussed pulling Cassidy and her brother out of school.
“She’s got chemo for example on December 30, and her numbers continue to drop for about 4 weeks after so we pull her now, we're pulling her now, we're pulling her through December, we're pulling her through January. At what point has she suffered enough?” Shannon said.”
According to the Oldham County Schools test to stay data, as of Nov. 18 there were 117 completed COVID tests and six positive cases among students and staff. Currently, 57% of the district ages 12 and up are vaccinated, but the Stocker family said the worry doesn't stop after getting vaccinated.
“There was somebody else next to Cassidy in one of her classes who had to go home sick and it is honestly just terrifying for Cassidy,” Shannon said.
“I don’t have an immune system so if I catch that I'm obviously going to end up in the hospital,” Cassidy said.
Cassidy is continuing to get chemo treatments every 4 weeks. The Oldham County Board of Education has a meeting scheduled for Monday, Nov. 22. The superintendent's agenda shows a COVID report for the meeting, but Stocker hopes they discuss readdressing the mask mandate.