Last August, while preparing for another school year, the Black Hawk Middle School choir teacher was constantly taking quick glimpses at her cell phone during a teachers meeting. After missing the call, she quickly contacted her doctor to find out the news. When she left an unoccupied room, school administrators just happened to be standing in the hallway nearby. Wilson then broke down. She was now a breast cancer victim. "The denial was thinking something was going to happen," Wilson recalled. Her thoughts wandered from the stability of her job to her family to her future health. Ultimately, the diagnosis never kept Wilson away from the classroom. In fact, Wilson included the disease as part of daily lessons with her students. Wilson wrestled with the idea of how much information she should pass along to her students. Finally, she came to the conclusion to put her battle at the forefront of each class. She joked about the five tattoos that served as the marks for the radiation beam and her thinning hair. Not all days were good days either. Some days tears were shared. Her bedtime moved up to 5:30 p.m. so she could have enough energy for the next day. "I'm teaching life," said Wilson, who just wrapped up her 22nd year teaching. "I think that is extremely important. You shouldn't be ashamed for having cancer." A year ago at this time, cancer was one of the last things on Wilson's mind. Now she and others who have been diagnosed with cancer await a chance to reflect on what has transpired in their lives. The annual Relay for Life of Warren County will be held this Friday, June 5, beginning at 6 p.m. at Black Hawk Middle School in Warrenton. The festivities will conclude the following morning at 6 a.m. Participants will gather in tents and sleeping bags and take part in the largest fundraising walk in the nation around the school's track. While Wilson won't be in attendance due to a conflict, her choir is scheduled to make an appearance. The local event is aiming to raise $72,000. Wilson wants others to be educated about the disease. According to the American Cancer Society, 117 Warren County residents are diagnosed with cancer each year. Last year, 104 cancer patients in Warren County - or approximately 89 percent - received a service or participated in an American Cancer Society program. Fortunately for Wilson, her cancer was detected at a low-risk level during a regular mammogram check, meaning chemotherapy was not part of her treatments. Always a highly personable person full of energy, Wilson said her positive personality aided her during radiation treatments, which she went to every day for more than six weeks. She wrapped up her treatments near the end of the first semester in December. Wilson's routine became more normal in January. The second semester was full of concerts and other happenings, including choir appearances at a St. Louis Cardinals game and the Fox Theatre. Wilson also served as guest conductor for 250 students from 34 schools during a concert at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. "I think if you stayed home and didn't keep trying to do what you regularly do, you would get depressed," Wilson said. At Black Hawk Middle School, where Wilson has taught for four years, the students rallied around one of their favorite teachers. Last October, the IT Club made wooden ribbons painted in pink to recognize Wilson and other teachers who were cancer survivors. Other fundraisers led to the school raising more than $1,600 for the American Cancer Society. "She is one of the most amazing teachers I've ever seen," said Stacy Ray, Black Hawk principal. "She was here every day with a smile. The school really pulled around her." Wilson is certainly thankful of the progress she's made since being diagnosed in August and for the generosity of the school district administrators, teachers, students and parents. Throughout her six weeks of treatments, parents constantly brought food for her family. When Wilson was having trouble finding the energy go get through a full day, administrators allowed her to sleep on a cot in her room during her hour-long planning period. "They knew when it was a bad day and they cut me a break," Wilson said. "God put me in this school for a reason. Had I been at another school, I don't think I would have had that support. It makes me love Warrenton that much more." Wilson understands her next role as a cancer survivor is to help others who might be diagnosed. She recalled how another teacher in the district recently learned she had cancer. The teacher was encouraged to contact Wilson. It was a phone call Wilson gladly answered.