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At 21, Leah Wroten was diagnosed with cancer, and life as she knew it changed for the foreseeable future, special education teacher Natalie Keller says.
“She had life-changing surgery," Keller said to The Batavian about her fellow Batavia City Schools colleague. "She had not been working for six months.”
Wroten, a BHS 2020 graduate, had major surgery, chemotherapy and related treatments since her diagnosis in 2024. School staff members have had football square and Dress Down Day fundraisers, and one coming up in February is expected to be the biggest so far, Keller said. It will be a 26 Shirts for Leah.
As a special ed teacher’s aide, Wroten was not paid during her time off, and it hurt her financially during those six months off. Keller has been aware of 26 Shirts, a Buffalo company that does popular one-of-a-kind shirt designs for worthy causes, and staff added their friend to the waiting list last April.
Wroten’s shirt design will be sold online for two weeks beginning Feb. 24, with $8 from each purchase going to her. Designs usually involve sports themes, such as with Buffalo Bills, and Keller is hoping that the Bills win the Super Bowl and the design can incorporate that. She has heard good things about the 26 Shirts company.
“They’ve been doing this for six or seven years. They said they make about $6,000 to $8,000 for each shirt design,” she said. "Some of this will be getting her back on her feet.”
Given that Wroten began in October 2023 and hadn’t been at the district very long when she got sick, she has rather quickly made a difference at the school, with adults and students alike.
Special education teacher Chris Gorton works in the same room with Keller and Wroten, and has enjoyed the experience of this teacher’s aide.
“Leah is amazing,” he said.
Keller also shared how she works with people.
“She’s very patient, she’s a good balance to me. She’s very patient with the kids at school and with my daughter, Sara. I think this group of kids that she works with a high school, she kind of found her people,” Keller said. “I don’t know that she was interested in doing that kind of work, but once she started, it’s just very natural for her to be caring and patient but to challenge the kids too.”
Sara, 16, has Down Syndrome, and Wroten has been taking her to youth group while working three jobs and preparing to continue her own education to become a special education teacher or study library science, Keller said. Her plans were temporarily shifted when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 21, and had to take time off from work for surgery and treatments.
She is in remission but still has to get scans and have follow-up appointments, “which means every time she takes off, she’s still not getting paid for those days; it’s hard to amass any time when you’re off,” Keller said.
“I’d like her to be in the position that if she has to go to a doctor’s appointment, she doesn’t have to worry about food and rent,” Keller said. “We’re hoping to get her back in a good place.”
About 26 Shirts
According to the website, 26 Shirts sells different limited edition Buffalo-themed t-shirts that give back. After a shirt's respective fundraising campaign is over, the design is retired and (usually) never sold again.
For every shirt sold, a donation is made to a specific family in need or charitable organization.
“Our primary focus is needs associated with health/medical concerns or unexpected family emergencies,” the site states. “Our goal is to provide customers with the highest quality, softest fabric shirts. So not only will they be designs you love, they'll be on shirts you love wearing.”
Wroten’s shirt will be released on Feb. 24 on the website and be available for purchase online for two weeks.
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