A Tribute to Caroline Keeney '04
Life doesn’t seem very fair at times, but Caroline Keeney never saw it that way. Not at 2 when she was diagnosed with leukemia. Not at 13 when she underwent surgery for a malignant brain tumor. Not last December when the cancer reappeared or even a few weeks ago when her doctors said there was nothing more they could do. No, in facing a host of challenges, the 2004 Collegiate graduate and rising sophomore at Bridgewater College always remained positive and upbeat, and even as she slipped quietly away on Sunday, she never wavered in her resolve to conquer the unconquerable.
“About a month ago,” said her mother Mary Taliaferro, “we were talking to one of her doctors, and I got a little weepy. Caroline said with a very determined look on her face, ‘Mom, stand steady.’ She still had fight in her. She was ready to go after it again.”
“About a month ago,” said her mother Mary Taliaferro, “we were talking to one of her doctors, and I got a little weepy. Caroline said with a very determined look on her face, ‘Mom, stand steady.’ She still had fight in her. She was ready to go after it again.”
No one who knew Caroline during her 19 years would be at all surprised by her attitude, for she had an indefatigable strength of will mixed with a wonderful sense of humor that enabled her to bounce back each of the many times life dealt her a cheap shot.
“She was determined to stare down anything,” her Mom continued. “She was determined to graduate from Collegiate, determined to go to college, determined to do what she wanted.”
Caroline loved horseback riding and snow skiing. She loved animals and was famous in her family for picking as a pet the scruffiest of the pack, the runt of the litter, the one needing the most love and attention. She loved her family: her mother, her father Bruce, and brothers Bo and Carter. And she loved her friends and teachers.
Debbie Hurst, who taught her Spanish in the Middle School, remembers a moment during Caroline’s eighth grade year when we returned to school after a break caused by snow and power outages.
“My family had gone to a motel after we lost power,” recalls Hurst, who had been working individually with Caroline to help her catch up after she started school late following surgery. “She asked me one morning how we were faring, and I told her what we’d done. ‘Well, you wimp,’ she said and laughed. After that, I was always ‘Wimp.’”
Taken at face value, her response might seem impertinent. Know her and you understand that it was vintage Caroline and a term of endearment. “We had a bond,” said Hurst. “She felt close enough to call me that without meaning any disrespect.”
Debbie Miller, a Middle School language arts teacher, is a long-time family friend who spent time with Caroline during the last few weeks. “Her family has been so supportive,” Miller said. “They’ve never made excuses, never focused on the negatives. Caroline enjoyed everything that she did and made you comfortable to be with her. One day last week when I was visiting with her, I was trying to find the right words to comfort her, but her words were really comforting me.”
John Chewning was Caroline’s Upper School advisor for four years and her math teacher for two. He remembers her diligence, her resiliency, and her unflagging determination.
“She was always willing to take a challenge,” he said. “She strived to get as much out of her classes as she could. If ever there was a student who had an excuse, it was Caroline, but she gave each task everything she had. She would always check with teachers to get extra help when she needed it. We tried to bring out the best in her, but she really brought out the best in us.”
So what can we learn from Caroline’s life, a life defined by courage, by grace and dignity in the face of a daunting and relentless opponent, and by a steadfast refusal to submit to self-pity?
“Caroline understood as well as anyone that life is precious,” said Chewning. “Through her example, she helped everyone else understand it too. Her life is an inspiration to all of us.” — ”Weldon Bradshaw
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“She was determined to stare down anything,” her Mom continued. “She was determined to graduate from Collegiate, determined to go to college, determined to do what she wanted.”
Caroline loved horseback riding and snow skiing. She loved animals and was famous in her family for picking as a pet the scruffiest of the pack, the runt of the litter, the one needing the most love and attention. She loved her family: her mother, her father Bruce, and brothers Bo and Carter. And she loved her friends and teachers.
Debbie Hurst, who taught her Spanish in the Middle School, remembers a moment during Caroline’s eighth grade year when we returned to school after a break caused by snow and power outages.
“My family had gone to a motel after we lost power,” recalls Hurst, who had been working individually with Caroline to help her catch up after she started school late following surgery. “She asked me one morning how we were faring, and I told her what we’d done. ‘Well, you wimp,’ she said and laughed. After that, I was always ‘Wimp.’”
Taken at face value, her response might seem impertinent. Know her and you understand that it was vintage Caroline and a term of endearment. “We had a bond,” said Hurst. “She felt close enough to call me that without meaning any disrespect.”
Debbie Miller, a Middle School language arts teacher, is a long-time family friend who spent time with Caroline during the last few weeks. “Her family has been so supportive,” Miller said. “They’ve never made excuses, never focused on the negatives. Caroline enjoyed everything that she did and made you comfortable to be with her. One day last week when I was visiting with her, I was trying to find the right words to comfort her, but her words were really comforting me.”
John Chewning was Caroline’s Upper School advisor for four years and her math teacher for two. He remembers her diligence, her resiliency, and her unflagging determination.
“She was always willing to take a challenge,” he said. “She strived to get as much out of her classes as she could. If ever there was a student who had an excuse, it was Caroline, but she gave each task everything she had. She would always check with teachers to get extra help when she needed it. We tried to bring out the best in her, but she really brought out the best in us.”
So what can we learn from Caroline’s life, a life defined by courage, by grace and dignity in the face of a daunting and relentless opponent, and by a steadfast refusal to submit to self-pity?
“Caroline understood as well as anyone that life is precious,” said Chewning. “Through her example, she helped everyone else understand it too. Her life is an inspiration to all of us.” — ”Weldon Bradshaw
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