A teacher in Miami Springs who is battlling cancer received the surprise of a lifetime after finding out she won a cruise voucher.
Bianca Pereyra, a pre-K teacher at Miami Springs Elementary School, was stunned Thursday when she found out she would be getting a free cruise after winning a giveaway.
“We want to reward you with a cruise on us,” said a Moe DeWitt, from JustCallMoe Injury & Accident Attorneys.
The veteran teacher has had a difficult year. Pereyra was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer earlier this year and has undergone multiple surgeries, chemotherapy and other treatments.
Her daughter, Mia, knew the battle was taking its toll.
“It’s been a struggle seeing her deal with the chemo and the cancer, going through it all a while now,” said Mia.
Mia nominated her mother for a teacher cruise giveaway, saying that despite all the challenges her mother had to face, she continued to show up for her students every day, filled with joy, energy and compassion.
“This was a beautiful surprise. It was nice that my oldest was scrolling through social media and found this trip, nominated me not only as her mom, but as a teacher, it’s great to have that, you know,” said Bianca.
Bianca was one of more than 600 teachers who were nominated in the giveaway.
In the end, she would take home the $2,000 cruise voucher, courtesy of JustCallMoe Injury & Accident Attorneys, who said she was selected for too many reasons to count.
“She’s had a lot of health issues, but she’s still showing up every day, coming into school, teaching these students, her students love her, she’s even doing classes on the weekends, things like that, so she’s really just a dedicated, devoted teacher here,” said DeWitt.
Mia was excited to find out her mom won such a special gift.
“It shocked me when I won, but I’m very happy that she got to be nominated on the cruise,” said Mia.
“You could really see in the nomination, her daughter’s love for her, but also her daughter made it very clear, her daughter doesn’t want it for her herself, her daughter’s not going on the cruise with her unless she really wants to, of course,” said DeWitt.
Bianca was left overwhelmed with emotion, cherishing her family and her community for helping her through her battle with cancer.
“I was always fighting, I’ve had a lot of support with my school family, my pre-K family, my community itself, my children. I couldn’t have done it without them,” said Bianca.
It’s the second time JustCallMoe has awarded a free cruise to a Florida teacher, which the company said is part of their commitment to celebrate educators who help shape the next generation.
Bianca said she can see the finish line in her battle after a few more treatments she has scheduled.