Wallace Elementary teacher Maggie Lamberth says each of her students is dear to her, but this summer one of her former first-graders has been ever-present on her mind. Lah Sher was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and she underwent surgery in June to have the tumor removed.
The youngest of five children, Lah and her family came to America as Burmese refugees. Richardson ISD and Lake Highlands-area schools welcome students from all over the globe, but Wallace has a particularly large cluster of Burmese refugee students – about 20 percent. In 2016, Wallace’s then-principal and several teachers traveled to a Burmese refugee camp to see the level of poverty for themselves and learn ways to help.
Lah’s surgery was a success, but her treatment is just beginning. She will require multiple therapies and other medical treatment to fully recover. Lamberth has set up a GoFundMe page to encourage friends and family to help pay Lah’s expenses.
Lamberth told me Lah is devoted to her two older brothers and two older sisters. When Lamberth invited Lah to Build-A-Bear for her birthday and said she could bring a friend, Lah asked to bring her sister.
“She is the sweetest child,” Lamberth said. “She loves school, works hard and is so dearly loved by the Wallace community.”
If you’d like to help, you may donate here. So far, most of the donors are other teachers cheering for Lah’s recovery.