WEDNESDAY, September 25, 2019
www.kamloopsthisweek.com
W1
BACK TO STREET SCHOOL,
BEATING CANCER
Tamara Vukusic
A
s a 57 year-old greatgrandmother Leisa Kreiter came to school every day, pushing through the side effects of chemotherapy to complete her high school diploma. “The staff at Street School did whatever it took to help me. They even picked up and dropped off my assignments from home on the rough days,” says Kreiter. Health problems during elementary school in North Battleford, Saskatchewan were her first of many enormous hurdles. “I loved going to school, but getting there was a physical challenge,” she explains. “But I never missed a day unless I was in the hospital,” she adds. Leisa’s health improved in junior high, but school was no longer a place she loved. Severe bullying from classmates included her nickname “Olga”. “I still don’t understand why they called me that,” she pauses to add. “I lashed out at other kids and failed grade 9. That is when I decided never to go back.” Leisa lied about her age to land her first full-time job at a gas station. She moved in with her boyfriend at 15, married at 18 and soon after had her first child. She
LEISA’S MANTRA: Spread your wings It’s time to fly Make the leap Own the sky
survived the next 19 years of life in a controlling and abusive home. “I fell into the drug scene,” she says, “I refer to it as my life sentence.” She moved to 100 Mile House, got clean and started over. Eventually she moved to Kamloops where she worked her way up the Tim Hortons ladder and moved into management. She stayed for fifteen years. Then her injured back forced her to go on disability.
“I wouldn’t be here today if I didn’t take a leap of faith and go back to school.” “I knew it was time to go back to school,” she explains. “Work BC told me about a program called Street School”.
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She was hesitant at first. Her association with school was negative. “I met with Tonia (Street School Outreach Worker) and realized this was a completely different thing from what I had known.” She registered for Street School in January 2018. In March 2018 Leisa was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer. She took a brief break from school for surgery and returned during chemotherapy. “It was hard to comprehend math because I had a foggy ‘chemo brain’,” says Leisa. “I became discouraged. Tonia and Erika at Street School continued to remind me how badly I wanted to complete the program. They told me they knew I could do it.” “Street School was a safe and comfortable place to learn,” she says with certainty. She completed math, communications, family management and BC First Nations. “I enjoyed BC First Nations so much that I bought the textbook!” she laughs. Leisa is on the road to becoming an Addictions Counsellor. “I now have the credentials I need to do this. Thanks to Street School I also have better self-esteem, more confidence and better relationships with friends and family.”
If you’re reading this, thank you! You’ve just helped support literacy in Kamloops and surrounding communities with your generous donation, which will be paired with matching funds from the provincial government. Last year we raised more than $130,000 for our local literacy groups.
In this special edition of Kamloops This Week you’ll read about the many groups and programs your donation is helping to support. Enjoy it and again, thank you for your support!
Daybreak Rotary club members Jordan Marshall, left, Brendan Shaw, Bryce Herman and Lisa Lake promote Raise a Reader last year outside Cityview Starbucks.
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