Mater Dei faculty, staff plan event to support teacher with cancer

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
April 13, 2006

Mater Dei School in Sioux City is planning an event to support one of its own.

Karla Embrock joined the staff of Mater Dei School last fall and was diagnosed with cancer for a second time in February.

The faculty and staff at Mater Dei are planning a benefit for Karla from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on April 22 in the Immaculate Conception Gym.

According to Vickie Staiert, secretary at Mater Dei-Nativity Center, the decision to have the benefit was mainly to help the Embrock family out financially.

"She had to take a leave of absence from her job and they have a brand new baby," said Staiert. "We didn't want them to have any other hardships than they need right now."

Karla is the daughter of Jim and Suzanne Hansen of Hawarden. She is married to Scott Embrock.

"In the summer of 1998, I was diagnosed with melanoma, skin cancer," said Karla. "I was 18 years old at the time and had just graduated from high school. That summer and the following year was a struggle dealing with the diagnosis, surgeries and ongoing treatment."

She received interferon for one year. The first month was intravenously five days a week and injections three times a week for the next 11 months.

"Scott and I had dated since the summer of our sophomore year. I was bound and determined to go college with him," said Karla. "It was a tough year. All I could do was study and sleep, but I was there."

By the next year, she was well enough to get involved in college life. Both she and Scott became resident assistants. She was on the "Impact Performance" dance team. They went to college at Southwest State in Marshall, Minn.

The couple graduated with education degrees in May of 2003 and were married June 7, 2003. For the next two years, Scott taught 8th grade social studies in Willmar, Minn. Karla was substitute teacher the first year and the second year she was the faith formation coordinator for St. Mary's Catholic Church in Willmar.

This past fall, the couple moved to Sioux City where Karla was teaching middle school math at Mater Dei School. Scott is a social studies teacher at North High School in Sioux City.

On Nov. 4, Karla welcomed her first child, Adam Scott, into the world.

"He is truly a blessing that gives us hope and smiles everyday," said Karla. "I had a normal pregnancy and after seven and half years of good cancer checkups, all seemed fine, but on Feb. 3, I had a irregular CT scan and was sent to Mayo Clinic."

On Feb. 10, Rochester gave her the dreaded news that her cancer was back, she added.

"I have taken a leave from my position and I'm concentrating on treatment," said Karla. "My first chemo didn't work, and the cancer has continued to spread, but we still have hope, as I am starting a different chemo along with radiation."

Staiert pointed out that Karla is "a dear, sweet girl. She is very caring and is overwhelmed by the generosity that has been shown to her for being new to the city. She can't believe all the support she is getting from people she doesn't even know."

"The kids love her and they want to do everything they can to help her, too," said Staiert.

The meal at the benefit will consist of loose-meat sandwiches, hot dogs, chips and dessert. The cooks at Mater Dei are preparing the food. The meat and other items have been donated. There will be a freewill offering for the dinner.

Also included in the evening will be a raffle, silent auction and a carnival for the children.

The raffle tickets are being sold for $20 each. Raffle are a 20' flat screen TV and an MP3 player.

Some of the items to be auctioned include Heelan apparel, Sioux City Musketeer flex tickets, Sioux City Explorers tickets, $50 certificate to the Southern Hills Mall, certificates to Promenade Cinema, two passes to the Heelan boys basketball camp this summer, certificates for oil changes, etc.

"I appreciate all of the prayers and support everyone has given our families during this difficult time," said Karla. "'My kids' at Mater Dei have been selling bracelets that have the motto I have lived by, 'Lord, together we can handle anything,' on them."

The bracelets have been sold at the schools for $2 each. According to Staiert, they have sold close to 700 bracelets so far. The bracelets are still being sold.

Another fundraiser being held for Karla is a Knights of Columbus breakfast at Immaculate Conception Parish Center on April 23 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There was also a bake sale at the IC spring concert on April 5.