Literary Las Vegas: Alfredo Torres Jr.

Third-grade teacher Ms. Jennings lives for her students, and they love her for it, so much that when illness threatens to take her away, they shave their heads in her honor. Las Vegas educator Alfredo Torres Jr. was inspired by his volunteer work with cancer patients to write about Jennings in his children's picture book "My Sick Teacher."

Excerpt:

She started by saying, "Class…" Then you could see her eyes fill with tears, hear a knot in her voice, and notice a slight quiver in her lips as she started to talk.

She said in a broken and saddened voice, "I am very sick. I was diagnosed with an irreversible, incurable, but treatable form of cancer." She explained to the class what cancer is and how it affects the body. She mentioned that she would miss a lot of days from work to receive her treatment. She continued to address the class in the most distraught tone, "My body will change. My weight will fluctuate, I will lose my hair, and I will feel weak and tired."