Some High School students in Phoenix aren’t just focused on learning; they have also raised nearly $10,000 for their teacher’s wife who needed heart surgery.
They set to work raising funds to help their 62-year-old government and economics teacher, Clayton Guy, after it was determined that his wife, Angel, would need heart surgery after experiencing chest pains.
“I was missing days and missing time, and on March 11, we did the surgery. Then I had to be out from that day on, because I was her nurse and the person who would give her the pills and take care of her and be at the hospital,” he added. His students noticed a change in him throughout this period.
Parker Bond, a recent graduate from the school, was in Guy’s class and stated, “Mr. Guy always has a lot of energy. He tries to include everybody in the class, so he wasn’t one of those quiet teachers who just sits there and expects you to do it,” he continued. He added, “He was pretty quiet. We could tell that something was off. We didn’t know what it was, but he did end up telling us.” Bond noted that he and some other students wanted to do something to help.
The fund is close to meeting its $10,000 goal. Guy noted he didn’t wish to have others worry about his struggles when he first heard about the fund, but he was moved by the students’ desire to help.
Angel Guy is recovering well, her husband said. “She [is] able to drive, so that’s good because she’s been in the back seat for six to eight weeks,” said Clayton Guy. As for what Guy’s students did to support her, Angel Guy said she was “overjoyed” and “couldn’t believe they did it without prompting from a teacher or anybody else.”.
As for student Parker Bond, he said this was the first time he’s been able “to contribute like this to someone else’s life” — and that it felt good.
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Photo: Parker Bond