Tears Flow When Kids Serenade Their Teacher Fighting Cancer
— -- Sometimes students drive their teachers to tears for all the wrong reasons.
But in this case, these kids gave Adriana Lopez all the right reasons to cry.
The PS22 chorus from the largest public elementary school in Staten Island, New York -- made up of 65 fifth-graders -- serenaded Lopez, who is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.
They chose the Martina McBride song "I'm Gonna Love You Through It."
"The Martina McBride song has become an anthem for breast cancer awareness, so the song selection made perfect sense," said Gregg Breinberg, director of the PS22 chorus. "Lisa [Kochman, who filmed the video] and I felt the kids were up to the emotional and physical challenge of bringing that song to life for her as a gesture of support for Adriana's extreme dedication to her students."
"Even on days when she was sick and fatigued, she would bring herself to work and give her everything to her students," said Breinberg. "She is a beautiful and inspiring person and no one deserves such a tribute more than she."
Lopez could not be reached for comment by ABC News.
The video, posted to YouTube on Tuesday, has been viewed over 1 million times.
"The kids were very emotional while practicing the song, lots of tears, they're very sensitive, very soulful little people," Breinberg said. "Don't let their ages fool you. And they kept it together when she came in for the performance and showered her with hugs and flowers after it was over. It was a moment no one in the room will ever forget."
