Typically, New Chance students have felony records and chemical dependency problems. Teachers and probation officers partner to work closely with the youth, and as a result, school lessons are as much about life as they are about academia. One recent lesson, however, nobody was prepared to teach. Britten was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Lou Gehrig s disease last October. Lou Gehrig s is a fatal, degenerative condition that steadily eliminates muscle control but does not diminish mental capabilities.
Most victims die of suffocation because their lungs cease to function.
After three months of medical referrals and tests with inconclusive results, she was undergoing a test expected to take 45 minutes. Three hours later, doctors told her the awful news. I was stunned, Britten said. It took her about six weeks before she decided to tell some of the students. She gathered those who had been in the program for a while into a circle.