In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Atlanta Public Schools is proud to highlight the stories of survivors who continue to serve students and their school communities.
Tiffany Franklin is the principal of Beecher Hills Elementary School and has served Atlanta Public Schools (APS) for 19 years. This is her story:
My name is Tiffany Franklin, and I am currently in treatment for stage 2C HER2-positive breast cancer. I learned of my diagnosis while serving my first year, second semester of being principal at Beecher Hills Elementary School. It was January 15, 2024, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and the first thing I thought was— God, why would you give me this new job and then hit me with cancer? How am I going to be able to leave this school to go through treatment for cancer?
My first concern was for Beecher, not even myself. What touched me was that they were just as concerned for me. The outpouring of support and love I have received has been amazing. The teachers and the students had a parade for me, where everyone wore a special shirt that had my name on it. As I walked down the hallway to the cheers of my students, they shared with me that they were fighting for me.
The staff also got together and made sure I didn’t have to worry about what I was going to eat. They looked after my five-year-old daughter and gave me gift cards. My fellow APS principal pals also gave me a huge bundle of gift cards to make sure that I didn’t have to worry about how we were going to eat.
The outpouring of support has carried me through my treatments. I am proud to report that I have completed surgery to remove the tumor, and I have completed four and a half months of chemotherapy. I also recently completed 30 sessions of radiation, and I realized that I am much stronger than I thought I was. I have learned life lessons through my diagnosis that I try to share with people to encourage them. The first lesson is that the time to do things is now. We try to push things off, like opting to work late and spending time with our families later. We tell ourselves to take a vacation next week, but we can’t. No. The time is now to do the things that we want to do.
The second lesson I’ve learned is that your outlook impacts your outcome. You can get diagnosed with cancer and go down a wormhole of all the negative things that can happen, but you must realize that this journey is your journey and what you make out of it. Try to remain positive because doing so produces positive outcomes.
I have received so many words of encouragement, and many colleagues checked in on me and wrapped me in prayer and love throughout this journey. The support has helped me remain positive, even through chemotherapy, which was the worst thing I’ve ever been through in my life. But I survived, and I’m still standing here.
Q: What have you realized about yourself through this time in your life?
A: I tell people that everyone goes through a Job [from the Bible] season in their life, and this is my Job season. It has taught me to accept help. I have always been the type of person who didn’t like to accept help because no one could do it better than me. However, I have learned not only to accept help but to ask for help because people want to help you. My APS village has supported me and wrapped me in so much love throughout this journey that I wouldn’t have been able to complete it without them. They made this journey so much easier.
