Ms. Deana at Trunk or Treat 2022 with Ms. Peyton, Ms. Anna and Ms. Lauri. We did a mermaid Under the Sea theme trunk.

I have had the honor and privilege of knowing Ms. Deana since we were 14 years old. My husband, Jimmy, met Deana on his first bus ride to school in 7th grade. She stood up for him on the way to Emerson Middle School. We go way back! For those of you who swam with Ms. Deana, or have had her as a sub, you know she would never put up with that kind of behavior, even as a 12 year old. Her heart is still just as big, and her personality is just as strong as it was back then! She is an amazing, kind, generous, strong, loving person. I am truly lucky to call her my friend.

Ms. Deana was diagnosed in January 2023 with an aggressive form of breast cancer. The doctors moved fast to start treating her.

Ms. Deana came to me in January, and with tears in her eyes, and told me she had been diagnosed with the most aggressive type of breast cancer. The doctors were going to move fast. We sat together and cried in the staff room at Union location. It was during our staff photoshoot, which made for some super fun photos (LOL), but also a lot of love and hugs from our entire team. We all told Deana then, we will do whatever it takes and help her every step of the way. That's what we do at Little Fins. We are a family!

It has been a long 8 months. Ms. Deana went through chemotherapy and radiation. Last week she received the great news that her cancer is in remission! She now moves on to surgery. They move very fast with this type of breast cancer, especially when it's so aggressive, to make sure it does not come back. Ms. Deana will have double mastectomy on September 7th, with some reconstruction as well. She does not know how long her recovery time will be, but probably between 8-10 weeks.

Back-to-School night event. Ms. Deana talked to hundreds of families about the importance of Swim lessons.

Through all of this, Ms. Deana has been an inspiration and fighter. She joined our marketing team, enabling her to work from home, while going through treatment. She showed up to every event, training, and activity (as long as her white blood cell count was high enough). She is very open about her diagnosis and treatment. She talks with our entire team, parents and kiddos about it, answering all of the questions, like why her head is bald, why she has a port, and why she can't be in the water all the time.

Little Fins Leadership team photoshoot. The day Deana told us her diagnosis.

We love Ms. Deana and we want to honor her and help her through this next phase. With breast cancer awareness month just a few short weeks away, we are kicking things off early to help this incredible Training Instructor, and my dear friend.

Check out the list below for ways you can get involved or help.

How can you help?

Help us fill the boot with donations. Look for the pink boot at both locations starting September 5th!
Get your 'Swim for a Cure' t-shirt to wear during the month of October! We have different styles and colors available online.
Schedule an extra lesson on October 4th to participate in our 'Swim for a Cure' day! A portion of each lesson taught on 10/4 will go to Ms. Deana and the charity of her choice, The Becky Baker Foundation.
Wear Pink Day is October 21st. We will be giving out fun prizes and treats if you tag @LittleFinsSwimSchool in your social media photos that day. If you have a lesson that day, wear pink for a prize!
Check out Ms. Deana's 'Give In Kind' page.
Send a prayer, good vibes, or loving thoughts to Ms. Deana each day! She knows they help!