Former Fairfield Teacher Launches Book Drive in Memory of Student Who Lost Brave Battle with Cancer

FAIRFIELD, CT — Former Fairfield elementary school teacher Kristin Golia raised more than $2,300 to buy hundreds of books for pediatric cancer patients at Yale-New Haven Hospital in memory of a former student who lost his brave battle with cancer.

Golia launched the book drive in memory of Teddy Gerber, who passed away in 2010. Golia was Teddy’s third-grade teacher at Osborn Hill School and would visit him at Yale while he was undergoing aggressive cancer treatment.

Jessica Gerber, Teddy’s mother, nominated Golia in 2012 as a “Top Teacher” in a contest run by the nationally syndicated “Live With Kelly” television show. Golia was a finalist and went to New York City to film a live episode with Kelly Ripa and guest host Reggie Bush.

Golia delivered the books to Yale-New Haven Hospital earlier this week.

Read more from the contributed article below:

Life can be beyond difficult for children and families who are forced to deal with the horror of pediatric cancer, but perhaps no time is more difficult for them than during the holidays. What is supposed to be a time of joy and togetherness can instead be filled with pain, sadness and separation.

One woman, Easton mother and former Fairfield teacher Kristin Golia, is doing her part to try to brighten the lives of children who will be spending their holidays in the hospital, instead of at home with their families.

In November 2009, Kristin Travis was thrust into a difficult and painful situation when one of her third-grade students at Osborn Hill School in Fairfield, Teddy Gerber, was diagnosed with undifferentiated sarcoma, a very rare and very aggressive type of pediatric cancer.

Teddy missed more than 100 days of school, and when he was able to attend he often had to come in late or go in early. Kristin would come to Teddy’s home whenever he was up for it and tutor him to keep him up to speed with his fellow students.

In addition to working with him on all of his academic subjects she also kept him apprised of all the goings-on in the classroom, and would report back to his classmates after each visit, letting them know how he was doing.

Not long after finishing his radiation and chemo treatments, Teddy relapsed and spent all of summer 2010 in the hospital. Kristin visited him there, and also visited him at home when he was briefly able to leave the hospital; bringing a baby snake to “visit” since Teddy had once commented that he’d never held a snake before. A little over a week after that Teddy passed away.

Many of the bright spots in the nine months he suffered through his cancer treatments were the result of Kristin’s thoughtfulness.

When the 2010-11 school year began, just weeks after Teddy died, Kristin welcomed Teddy’s sister Gillian into her classroom, and helped her through that difficult first year without her brother. In June 2011 Kristin married her longtime boyfriend Tony Golia. At their wedding, instead of buying favors for their guests, Kristin and Tony donated money to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a pediatric cancer organization close to the Gerbers’ hearts.

In April 2012 Teddy’s mom Jessica Gerber nominated Kristin as a “Top Teacher” in a contest run by the nationally syndicated “Live With Kelly” television show. Kristin was chosen as a semifinalist, and then a finalist, and was brought down to NYC to film a live episode with Kelly Ripa and guest host Reggie Bush.

The show rewarded her with a trip to Fiji, where she and Tony spent an amazing week before returning home to CT and preparing for the birth of their first child, John, who was born December 12, 2012.

Kristin now has a daughter as well, and is taking some time off from teaching, but she is still involved in helping children. She works for Usborne Books, and in September 2016 set up a book drive, “Books For Kids With Cancer.”

It was a huge success, raising more than $2,000 in just a few weeks. Usborne Books matched 50 percent of each donation made, so the total amount was over $3,500 (or 250 books). Kristin carefully chose books that would be suitable for a wide range of children, and recently received her order. She then delivered them to this week to Yale New Haven Hospital, where she spent time visiting Teddy while he was a patient there seven years ago, and gave the books to the child life specialist in the pediatric wing, who will share these books with her patients.

Contributed photo: Kristin Golia delivers hundreds of books for pediatric patients at Yale New Haven Hospital.