October 29, 2025 — Across Cobb County Schools, it's not hard to find someone with a personal connection to breast cancer.
Whether it's a teacher who has survived it themselves or a student who has watched a family member battle it, many within Cobb know exactly what that struggle is like.
October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, when people sometimes quietly reflect or boldly wear pink in a classroom to let others know what they have gone through.
Across Cobb Schools, six teachers and staff members were gracious enough to share their stories of overcoming breast cancer. In many cases, they chose to continue working in the midst of treatment while continuing to influence the lives of students and fellow educators positively.
While these stories from Belmont Hills, Kennesaw Mountain, Pebblebrook, Pitner, and a Cobb Schools bus driver all share similarities, each one is unique in how they overcame breast cancer.
Michelle Lanier, Pitner Elementary
Just before school was getting ready to start in August of 2024, Michelle Lanier found out that she had breast cancer. In those moments of fear and uncertainty, she decided to continue teaching even as she went over treatment options with her doctors.
Lanier said that her passion for the job and the joy she gets from teaching her first-grade students is what ultimately led her to continue working.
"When you're going through something like that, you want to still have that passion and joy in your life, you want to have the little people you love the most who don't have any idea what's happening in your life but can put a smile on your face," said Lanier.
Lanier got her surgery to remove the cancer during Fall break of 2024 and missed the week after to recover, and then was back in the classroom. She is one of multiple educators at Pitner Elementary School who have overcome breast cancer and said it made her feel at ease knowing she wasn't alone.
"It is nice to know that someone else knows what that felt like, so you can smile and laugh and be like, wow, can you believe we did that? Can you believe that this came into our lives, and we are still here to talk about it?" said Lanier.
Niki Jaquish and Sherry Williams, Kennesaw Mountain High School
In 2019, English teacher Niki Jaquish and Math teacher Sherry Williams found themselves in a position they never could have expected; both Kennesaw Mountain teachers were diagnosed with breast cancer.
For Jaquish, this was her second battle with breast cancer after overcoming it in 2016. She said in total she endured 30 rounds of chemotherapy and 72 rounds of radiation, all while continuing to teach students.
"Having breast cancer and teaching is not a club you'd sign up for, but at the same time, some of the most powerful relationships I've had with people have been formed in that way, and walking this journey with a coworker was oddly empowering," said Jaquish.
While it wasn't uncharted territory for Jaquish, it was for Williams, who was also continuing to teach just down the hall.
Both Jaquish and Williams would undergo chemotherapy during the 2019 school year and continued to teach. The two didn't know each other well before this shared battle, but quickly reached a point where they would send each other encouraging texts or ask questions about how to be most comfortable in the classroom during a painful and uncomfortable time.
"I knew she was just down the hallway if I needed anything, she would check on me," said Williams.
Jaquish and Williams hardly ever missed a day of school during treatment, even though they felt physically drained, were losing their hair, and had compromised immune systems. Both longtime educators pointed to a common reason for continuing to work: their love for the job and their students.
"The students quite literally gave me life. They were quirky, funny, and supportive and looked out for me in ways I didn't even realize were happening," said Jaquish.
Jaquish was awarded Teacher of the Year for Kennesaw Mountain High School in 2019.
To read more about Jaquish and Williams' story, click here.
Marianne Moraweic, Cobb Schools Bus Driver
For the past 10 years, Marianne Moraweic has driven students to and from school every day as a bus driver for Cobb Schools, ensuring that everyone on board is safe.
In October of 2024, she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer.
Rather than taking time off, Moraweic underwent treatment while continuing to drive.
"Throughout chemotherapy, I continued to work, but there were days here and there where it was too much, so I wasn't able to. My kids know Mrs. Marianne is always smiling and that it's a good place when they're on my bus, so on those days I wasn't feeling so great, I never let them see it," said Morawiec.
Moraweic said that although she knew it would be okay to take time off and that someone could help cover her routes, she wanted to be around the job and students she loved during one of the hardest times of her life.
"You don't realize how strong you are until you have to walk down that bumpy road. The students actually made me feel better; just being around them was actually really helpful," said Morawiec.
Moraweic has now become a well-known driver at Pitner Elementary School, where she is a fellow breast cancer survivor with Mrs. Lanier and others at the school.
To read more about Moraweic's story, you can click here.
Diona Swinney, Pebblebrook High School
Right before the 2024 school year, Diona Swinney found out she had breast cancer.
She learned the news while on a trip to Disney World, celebrating her granddaughter's birthday.
"To be honest, I just wanted to live. When you hear 'cancer,' you think it's almost like a death sentence," said Swinney.
Swinney would undergo chemotherapy and miss the Fall semester of that school year. While she was at home recovering and focusing on her health, the 11th-grade advanced algebra teacher couldn't stop thinking about her students at Pebblebrook High School.
"The kids give me light, teaching gives me light," said Swinney.
Even though she wasn't physically present in the classroom, she found a way to stay involved.
Swinney made customized wristbands and had them distributed to students while she was away. Those wristbands had words of encouragement engraved on them, such as "You Are Amazing" and "Never Give Up."
It was her way of letting her students know she was still there for them, all while trying to use her experience with breast cancer as a way to motivate her class.
"One of my students, whom I had not seen, came to check on me- this brought me to tears. She said I came to check on you, and my mother passed away from breast cancer. So, when I say it's very touching, it's something I never forget. I've got my pink on now, I wear my pink every day," said Swinney.
Swinney said her breast cancer battle has only given her a greater appreciation for her job as a teacher and made the bond between her and the students at Pebblebrook even stronger.
To read more about Swinney's story, you can click here.
Nerlie Alexandre, Belmont Hills Elementary
In November of 2023, Nerlie Alexandre received word from her doctor that a recent scan showed some concern.
Although she was hesitant at first to look into it further, she eventually went back for follow-up appointments.
In January of 2024, Alexandre was diagnosed with breast cancer, but continued to work. She scheduled appointments after school hours and rarely needed a substitute to accommodate he as she was going over treatment options with her doctors.
"I just kept on moving like nothing was happening," said Alexandre.
Alexandre credits her faith, family, and an incredibly supportive team at Belmont Hills Elementary School with allowing her to continue working.
For this 3rd-grade teacher, the path forward was a surgery to remove the cancer. Alexandre insisted that it take place in June of 2024, after the school year ended, so she didn't have to take time off.
She wanted to be around her students and feel normal in her job, but life outside of work was far from normal.
"It's the heart we have for what we do. Sometimes you can't put yourself on the back burner anymore, but most of the time, our children and our family come first. Especially if you're a woman, we are wired like that to put everybody else first and us second. So, to all the teachers in the county and around the world who are battling or have battled cancer, you got this," said Alexandre.
A Shared Experience
All six of these Cobb educators said they found peace knowing that there was a strong support system around them. They knew they could ask their principal, a fellow teacher, or a Cobb staff member for help, and they would be accommodated.
At Kennesaw Mountain and Pitner, multiple teachers and staff members are breast cancer survivors, which became a valuable outlet for those battling to have someone nearby who knew what they were going through.
Those included in this story make up just a fraction of those who have gone through or are still going through breast cancer. This disease is prevalent not only in Cobb Schools but across the country.
According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer impacts one in every eight women in the U.S.
Every teacher or staff member who was interviewed is now breast cancer-free.
