This week, the American Red Cross is celebrating hometown heroes. Each year, the group awards people who demonstrate extraordinary acts of kindness and courage. One of the award recipients is a Bibb County teacher who told Yvonne Thomas nothing can keep her away from her students, not even cancer.
When you walk inside Allyson Maffett's classroom, you can tell a love of learning is here. “The kids are little and sweet, and I feel like they're mine,” said Maffett.
Even though she never had children of her own, Allyson Maffett has dedicated her career to her students over the last 27 years. “She inspires us all. She's taught everyone the lifelong lesson of never giving up,” said teacher Summer Wellborn.
This year, the Red Cross is honoring her as a "Hometown Hero."
“I just like to come to school and do my job. It's hard for me to think of myself as a hero,” said Maffett.
But last year, her superwoman strength was put to the test after a doctors visit. “It was March 8th, 2017. I was not in any pain. I just felt like I had a band down here,” said Maffett.
Maffett was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, a battle she still fights every day in the classroom. “She's still undergoing chemo. She had a failed surgery last year. There's been some setbacks, but she's still going and she's still smiling,” said Wellborn.
To this day, her students don't know she's sick, and she hopes to keep it that way. Maffett says that alone gives her strength to fight a while longer.
Maffett and 13 other Hometown Heroes will be honored by the Red cross this Thursday at Hutchings College and Career Academy.