Malissa Gore has served the students and families of R.K. Smith Middle School for the past 16 years working as a teacher and coach of nearly every sport, and now the community is rallying around Gore following her February ALS diagnosis.
Tracy Bishop Naquin met Gore nine years ago when she began teaching at R.K. Smith School.
“In August I know she had some concerns about some physical things, but then the hurricane came and she dealt with all of those stressors,” Naquin said of Gore. “When we came back to work in October we had noticed … and she had noticed … some things she was unable to do mobility wise. She had started noticing a loss in the strength in her hands and her speech was impaired.”
An ALS diagnosis came after months of multiple rounds of testing, and Gore received a phone call with the diagnosis while she was at work.
“I had just walked my class out of my room and I was in the hallway and a coworker said, ‘You need to go to Malissa’s room right away,’” Naquin remembers. “She was in there with some coworkers, and that’s when she broke the news to me about what her diagnosis was. We sat there and hugged and cried.”
Naquin said technology has made it possible for Gore to still teach even as her mobility and speech ability continue to decline.
“She’s still teaching … she’s still in the classroom,” Naquin said. “She is still moving around and she’s doing her absolute best to function the best that she can.”
Gore has told her 8th grade students about the disease and the declines that could happen over time.
“She really wanted them to understand why she’s dealing with the limitations that she’s dealing with, because there are some things the students have been able to see progressively over the course of the school year,” Naquin said. “They’re old enough to understand and comprehend it. She didn’t want to hide from them what’s going on.”
Naquin said students at school have eagerly expressed an interest in ways that they can help Gore, and that plans are currently underway for a special student initiative. She added that immediately upon learning about the diagnosis several of teachers and friends got together to plan fundraisers and support for Gore.
“We were ready to hit the ground running,” Naquin said.
Withing the first week the friends organized a Super Bowl football pool. The pool ended up selling out the first day and two others were created. Naquin said bracelets and shirts have also been created, all with the intention of showing Gore she is loved and supported.
“We also know there’s going to be a point in time she’ll need help with getting food and meals, so we’re organizing gift card donations” Naquin said. “We have several businesses in the community who are ready to support that.”
As more community members and former students have learned of Gore’s diagnosis, they have organized raffles and fundraisers in her honor. At the end of the month Gore will be one of the recipients of proceeds collected from the Dat Dads’ Club golf tournament.
“She is over appreciative,” Naquin said of Gore. “We’ve always been friends … since the day I started working here. Over time we’ve really grown just to be really close. I told her the day that she was diagnosed, ‘This is tough and this is hard, but you will never be a burden. You are being burdened, and there is a huge difference.’ There’s no task too small and no task too big for us to do for her … she’s overwhelmed I think at this time with the amount of support that she’s gotten.”
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