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DAR groups honors Spotsylvania girl for her bravery as she continues her fight against brain cancer
Jordan DuPriest, 11, of Spotsylvania is fighting brain cancer. She is scheduled to have a third surgery Wednesday.FILE/Robert A. Martin/THE FREE LANCE-STAR Visit the Photo Place |
By CATHY DYSON
Jordan DuPriest has gotten attention--and respect--from several groups as she's battled brain cancer.
The 11-year-old Spotsylvania County student recently was recognized by chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Mine Run and Williamsburg.
Members were so impressed that she named her brain tumor Cornwallis that they set up a ceremony at Mary Washington House to give her certificates of bravery.
"What better image to use when fighting a bitter foe such as cancer than that of being led by Gen. Washington in the defeat of the enemy, Lord Cornwallis," said Elizabeth Couture, past regent of the Mine Run chapter.
At the August ceremony, Couture and others praised Jordan's courage and determination. The student was featured in a June story in The Free Lance-Star, when fellow classmates at Courtland Elementary School observed "Hats on Against Cancer" day in her honor.
Jordan had added a lot of hats to her wardrobe since May 2011, when she was diagnosed with anaplastic ependymoma, an aggressive brain tumor. Despite two surgeries, four courses of intensive chemotherapy and six weeks of getting seven doses of radiation a day, Jordan maintained her straight-A average and participated in as many class activities as possible.
Her fourth-grade history lessons were put to use after her first surgery, when a doctor asked her to give her tumor a name.
She picked Cornwallis because she planned to beat the tumor the same way Washington trounced the British at the Battle of Yorktown.
Williamsburg and Mine Run DAR members wanted to become part of her team of supporters, admirers and reinforcements.
"Now in the spirit of 1781, go whip that Cornwallis!" announced Jane Stewart, first vice regent of the Williamsburg group.
Mine Run Regent Rochelle Gray gave Jordan a tiny tin British general to remind her how small and significant her own Cornwallis is.
The Wilderness Bridge Society of the Children of the American Revolution gave her a Colonial fan, a tricorn hat and a T-shirt.
Lt. Col. Jack Lee, who's retired from the Air Force and facing his own battle with pancreatic cancer, also commended Jordan's spirit.
"I was honored," said Jordan, a sixth-grader at Spotsylvania Middle School. "It was a really cool surprise that they recognized me for bravery."