Stamford Teacher Battled Back From the Brink

Westhill High School’s Danielle Waring says of teaching, “This is my calling.” But Danielle, who teaches freshman English at the Stamford school, almost never made it to the classroom.

Just prior to completing her master’s degree, Danielle was feeling tired and run down. The outcome of her doctor’s appointment was the news that she had leukemia.

Within days, she was in Stamford Hospital in critical condition and terrified about what might lie ahead.

“I’d been accepted to teach in the Stamford school system, signed my contract and was ready to go when this awful news hit me,” she remembers.

By late summer, Danielle’s condition had worsened and  doctors placed her in a coma in order to treat her illness more effectively. To add to her anxiety, Danielle was brought out of the coma six weeks later on Sept. 11th to see the country in chaos.

Miraculously, Danielle was in the classroom at Dolan Middle School just three months later, finally doing the thing she loved.

The next year, she moved to Westhill High School and has been teaching freshmen English ever since. She’s also given back by becoming active in events like Light the Night and Relay for Life, telling her dramatic story.

In the fall of 2009, Danielle was encouraged to apply for the Teacher of the Year competition in Stamford. After a lengthy process it was announced last March that she had been selected.

In addition to taking Stamford’s top honor, Danielle was one of 15 semi-finalists in the State Teacher of the Year competition.

“I thought I’d never get a chance to teach, and teaching was all I ever wanted to do,” a smiling Danielle recalls.

 

 

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