Local Sartell Woman On Ellen–My Personal Connection To Her Story [WATCH]

By now you've probably heard the news that a local Sartell woman will be appearing on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show this afternoon.

Her name is Greta Perske, and she was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was a freshman at Sartell High School.

Though I never knew Greta personally, her mom Jan was my homeroom teacher during my first two years at Apollo High School. Like many, I know her story very well. I still remember Mrs. Perske breaking the devastating news to our homeroom when she found out her daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. It was such a sad day filled with many tears.

At times it was hard to watch Mrs. Perske try to be strong  and hold it together when she'd talk about such a difficult topic. It was also eye-opening to realize that this girl my age and going through life changing difficulties while I was worried about acing my math test.

Everyone wanted to help in whatever capacity they could because Mrs. Perske was one of the nicest teachers in the entire building. She was always so positive, happy and extremely caring everyday. She always showed up with a huge smile on her face. She was kind of like our "school mom."

Students in my class were so heartbroken over the news because we felt like we knew Greta. Many students offered to get tested to see if they could donate their bone marrow to help Greta--all the while knowing that it would be a painful process.

For two years we were all invested in Greta's story-- praying and hoping for the best. The Perske's found a bone marrow donor for Greta in 2007. We were so thankful and happy for the family.

Mrs. Perske took time off to be with Greta. She'd check in with us every now and then to give updates on her daughter's health. It was hard to hear about what Greta was going through with her treatment.

Today, Greta is 24 years old and married! Her family invited her bone marrow donor, Danny Daniels, from Arkansas to her wedding to share a dance with the man who saved her life. I think I can speak for many people when I say that it's exciting to see such a fairy tale ending. I am so excited to watcher her tell her story on Ellen this afternoon!

If you're interested in tuning in, you can catch the show at 4 p.m. today on WCCO. Congratulations, Greta and the rest of the Perske family!