Four buses of students gathered at the high school junior's home earlier this month.
Last night the ENTIRE West Orange High School Football Team, Cheerleading Squad, and Marching Band swung by classmate...
Posted by West Orange, NJ on Saturday, October 10, 2015
WEST ORANGE -- It definitely wasn't a typical pep rally.
Before heading to an away game on Oct. 9, four bus loads of kids from the West Orange football team, cheerleading squad, and marching band made a special stop to a home on Luddington Road. They weren't there to play a game, or cheer on the school. They were there for their classmate, West Orange High School junior Mackenzie Fitschen.
"The people in this community are just unbelievable," Mackenzie's mom, Dawn Duca-Fitschen said in a phone interview about the show of support. "Just look at what the school has done...it's amazing."
Over the summer, Mackenzie went to the doctor after experiencing a persistent pain in her side, and developing a small lump near her lymph nodes, her mother said. After a series of tests and exams, she was diagnosed with a rare form of metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
"The floor literally falls out from under you when you hear (a diagnosis like that)," Duca-Fitschen said. But the shock of learning that she has cancer has proven only to show her daughter's strength, she said.
"She is a rock star," Duca-Fitschen said of Mackenzie. "What doctors don't understand is that medicine is only one part of it. Your mind is such an important part of your healing...and, she's so positive. She's been amazing."
MORE: The top towns for families in Essex County
Mackenzie, a WOHS cheerleader, has been out of school since starting chemo and other treatments in September, her mom said. Members of the community have rallied around the family in countless ways, Duca-Fitschen said. The cheer team has been wearing "believe" bracelets in support of Mackenzie, and selling them around school in her name.
The pep rally was what the district called in a statement an "incredible show of love and support" for one of its own.
"We are here for you," Cheerleading Coach Kim Topping said in a post on the district website about the message she hoped the rally would send to Mackenzie.
"We love you and we can't wait to have you back with us next year."
In addition to Mackenzie's determination, her mom credited moving displays like the pep rally with helping the family battle cancer together.
"All of these things are helping," she said. "West Orange really is a special place."
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
