by Mikal J. Harris

Mary Martin candidly discusses her degenerative disease without a note of self-pity. But when she talks about the unexpected support she found in her classmates, her rosy cheeks spread wide to accommodate the smile between them.

The graduating seniors’ chewed-up keys additional markings courtesy of the grandchildren lay atop the books and notes neatly piled on a table nearby. As she faces the everyday turmoil of fighting a rare disorder, those books and notes will provide a source of inspiration for Martin in the coming months.

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Martin’s No. 1 priority may be similar to that of most of her peers. She wants to finish her final three classes this semester, complete a summer internship and receive her degree in mortuary science.

And she does not intend to let her illness rob her of life’s dream. That perseverance has even reinvigorated her son’s dreams.

My son said Mom, if you can get sick and still go to school, Martin related, then I can go to school, too.’

Martin, of Anna, has dermatomyositis, an inflammatory disease that usually weakens the muscles in the trunk area. Patients have difficulty rising from a sitting position, climbing stairs, lifting objects, or reaching overhead.

One in five million people contract the condition, which is characterized by a rash of patchy, bluish-purple discolorations on the body prior to muscle weakening. Some patients also may develop hardened bumps of calcium deposits under the skin.

Martin was hospitalized during most of January because of severe complications arising from dermatomyositis. She developed a severe case of pneumonia as her immune system has weakened greatly because of her disease and part of a lung was removed.

As a result of her illness, Martin has more than $70,000 in hospital bills. Her medications cost about $1,100 a month.

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Martin’s classmates took notes for her while she was hospitalized, and some even visited her. Dominick Weigel, a senior from Las Animas, Colo., said he and his classmates knew very little about Martin’s disease.

We knew that she had it, he said, but that was all we knew.

But they wanted to do more for her.

Knowing that Martin was in need was enough to spur them into action. Ericka Hunt, a sophomore from Union, said the group began collecting money in a can to contribute toward Martin’s medical expenses. They collected about $62.

Later, after Martin returned to classes, the students organized an undercover hot dog and bake sale to raise additional funds. Hunt’s parents donated supplies to help cut down on expenses, and the students eventually netted $560.

Martin said she was kept in the dark about the entire scheme.

I didn’t know anything about it, she said. I didn’t know about it until they presented the check.

Martin said she was speechless upon opening the envelope containing the money.

Weigel said Martin was very near tears.

I couldn’t help it, Martin said, upon remembering. The money, of course, was very important. I was just overwhelmed by the fact that a group of people could take the time to organize this.

Before her illness, Martin said she only knew most of the people through classes she could only have called them acquaintances before. Now, those people are on call to take notes for her on her bad days. When she drops a pen in class, a hand is always outstretched to pick it up for her because of the trouble she has bending over.

Martin, who was deterred in her youth from becoming a funeral director, now has plenty of support in achieving her dreams.

There are a lot of nice people helping out, she said, and this would classify them as friends.