Genoa-Kingston cheerleader with inoperable brain tumor hopes to help others

GENOA – A Genoa-Kingston High School cheerleader will have the support of her peers, coaches and teachers Friday night as they rally to fundraise and help her through a life-altering illness.

Genoa-Kingston High School and Middle School Athletic Director Philip Jerbi said Friday’s event will support Kalista Breda – a freshman cheerleader who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor as an eighth grader.

Breda’s mother, Jess Evertsen, wrote in an email to Shaw Local News Network that she and her daughter have been blown away by the ever increasing scope of the fundraiser, which will take place during the Cogs’ varsity football game against North Boone High School at 7 p.m. Friday.

“Kalista was so happy to know that all of these people wanted to support her and cared about her so much,” Evertsen wrote. “Kalista and I were just talking about how so many families going through the same thing don’t always have a community of fighters behind them, so we are so incredibly blessed and thankful for all of these ‘krusaders’ helping Kalista fight this fight!”.

As part of the fundraiser, the Genoa-Kingston athletic department created and sold hundreds of shirts, with the proceeds also going to Breda’s family.

Those shirts will have the words “Kalista’s Krusaders” in gray, the color associated with brain cancer awareness initiatives, across the front and can be picked up at the football game.

“She’s been dealt a very unfair hand, but she never lets it stop her. She still tries to find the positive in every situation.”

—  Mom Jess Evertsen

Genoa-Kingston High School cheerleading coach Danielle D’Amato said Breda initially had to step away from cheerleading after receiving her diagnosis, but has since rejoined, although she no longer flies or tumbles.

“Ever since joining high school cheer and seeing her in this light, knowing what she’s going through, if you wouldn’t have known ahead of time what she’s dealing with you would never guess there was anything wrong, just based on her demeanor and her personality,” D’Amato said Thursday. “I think she’s probably the strongest teenager I know right now, going through what she’s going through, and being able to be happy and be so strong for herself and her family right now. She’s a great teammate.”

On Wednesday, Jerbi said he had sold more than 370 shirts, but the support wasn’t limited to Genoa or DeKalb County. Aaron Sullivan, activities director for the opposing team from North Boone High School, also purchased shirts for his school’s student section.

“Which is amazing, that our opponents are willing to do that for us also, a pretty cool thing,” Jerbi said. “Not just our school, but the conference is basically rallying behind this cause at this particular point in time, and we’re going to honor her [Breda] and her family at 6:55 (p.m.), right before kickoff, once the anthem is over, out at the 50-yard line. And all of our proceeds and donations that we take Friday night will go directly back to the family.”

Student and adult volunteers also will host a 50/50 raffle and sell wristbands to benefit Breda’s family.

“We just want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts to every single person in this community. From day one, the love and support has been remarkable,” Evertsen said. “Our lives changed dramatically, literally, overnight but our community has made sure we know we have so many people behind us fighting this fight with us. It takes a village, and I’m beyond grateful for ours.”

After working for Genoa-Kingston School District 424 for three decades, Jerbi, 53, said he’s gotten to know multiple generations of Genoa students. He said he and his district colleagues want to help Breda and her family any way they can.

When he asked Breda whether she’d be interested in allowing the school to host the fundraiser in her honor, Breda jumped at the opportunity, he said. Her mom had previously broached the idea of hosting a fundraiser to raise awareness for childhood cancer.

“She wants others to understand this is a disease that doesn’t just affect people once they get older, it’s a disease that affects people when they’re younger as well,” Jerbi said. “And she’s not doing this at all for self promotion. She’s doing it to be able to raise awareness. She’s going through something that most of us can’t even fathom, and may never experience something like this. And as an educator, yes, we want to teach our students our curriculum, but if we can teach our community members as well that even when going through a hardship there are positives involved, I think it’s something we should do more often.”

Breda has undergone chemotherapy treatments for the past seven months, and has more still to go, Jerbi said. The tumor in her brain isn’t expected to be completely eliminated, however.

“The type of tumor it is makes it not only inoperable, but it’s never really going to go away, something that’s going to be watched for the rest of Kalista’s life,” Jerbi said.

Asked how she thinks she’s handled the inoperable cancer diagnosis, Kalista’s mother wrote that her daughter is the “strongest, bravest person” she knows.

“She’s been dealt a very unfair hand, but she never lets it stop her,” Evertsen wrote. “She still tries to find the positive in every situation. Her phrase quickly became, ‘I’m fine’ from the day of her diagnosis and has stuck with her throughout this process. You’ll see her smiling more than not, and she’s always thinking of helping others, even though her life has gotten turned upside down. She’s taught me so much about staying positive and what true strength looks like.”