Spring Break
Music student loses battle with cancer
Andrew McLemore
Issue date: 1/23/08 Section: NEWS
After two years of battling cancer, West Columbia senior Jeannie Tillman died Friday morning. She was 21 years old.
Family and friends said they remember Tillman as a kind and loving person who was always positive, even in the most tragic circumstances. She loved playing the flute and piano, riding her two horses and participating in local student ministries.
"She was willing to help anyone and be friends with anyone," said Tillman's friend Michelle Thompson, a Houston senior.
Tillman was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor in December 2005 at Medical City Dallas Hospital. Tillman's boyfriend, League City senior Jason Schloesser, said he and Tillman laughed when the doctors first told them.
Tillman's mother had been hospitalized two months earlier for Acute Respiratory Disease Syndrome and Schloesser said it seemed too cruelly ironic for half of the Tillman family to be in intensive care.
"We both kind of lived in denial that first year," Schloesser said. "At 19, it just never clicked for either of us."
After a year of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, the tumor stopped growing. But two new tumors eradicated any remaining doubts.
The initial diagnosis and extensive cancer treatments prevented Tillman from enrolling for the 2006 spring semester. But Tillman refused to quit school altogether, attending a community college near her hometown while undergoing treatments at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Tillman eventually returned to NT, driving to Dallas every two weeks for chemotherapy.
"She was here whenever she could be, always trying to finish work, bouncing between here and Houston," Schloesser said.
Tillman began playing piano when she was five years old and majored in music education with the intention of teaching junior high.
Her brother, Jimmy Tillman, said she was given a musical aptitude test in the sixth grade. When the band director told her she couldn't play because the test showed she wasn't good enough, Jeannie decided to play anyway. She was first chair flute throughout junior high and high school.
"She was the smartest and most caring person I've ever known," said Jimmy Tillman. "She loved everything she did, and she did it all with passion."
Tillman was a devout Christian and Schloesser said she drew upon her faith for peace and strength.
Friends of Tillman said they didn't initially understand the severity of her illness because she preferred to stay upbeat and downplay the seriousness of her condition. When Schloesser created a blog to keep people updated on the progress of Tillman's cancer, the depth of her struggle became clear.
But even in her last weeks, when Tillman could hardly speak, friends and family remember her determination to be happy.
"She repeated her favorite Bible passage like a mantra," Schloesser said. "'Be joyful, always.' And that's how she lived her life."
Family and friends said they remember Tillman as a kind and loving person who was always positive, even in the most tragic circumstances. She loved playing the flute and piano, riding her two horses and participating in local student ministries.
"She was willing to help anyone and be friends with anyone," said Tillman's friend Michelle Thompson, a Houston senior.
Tillman was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor in December 2005 at Medical City Dallas Hospital. Tillman's boyfriend, League City senior Jason Schloesser, said he and Tillman laughed when the doctors first told them.
Tillman's mother had been hospitalized two months earlier for Acute Respiratory Disease Syndrome and Schloesser said it seemed too cruelly ironic for half of the Tillman family to be in intensive care.
"We both kind of lived in denial that first year," Schloesser said. "At 19, it just never clicked for either of us."
After a year of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, the tumor stopped growing. But two new tumors eradicated any remaining doubts.
The initial diagnosis and extensive cancer treatments prevented Tillman from enrolling for the 2006 spring semester. But Tillman refused to quit school altogether, attending a community college near her hometown while undergoing treatments at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Tillman eventually returned to NT, driving to Dallas every two weeks for chemotherapy.
"She was here whenever she could be, always trying to finish work, bouncing between here and Houston," Schloesser said.
Tillman began playing piano when she was five years old and majored in music education with the intention of teaching junior high.
Her brother, Jimmy Tillman, said she was given a musical aptitude test in the sixth grade. When the band director told her she couldn't play because the test showed she wasn't good enough, Jeannie decided to play anyway. She was first chair flute throughout junior high and high school.
"She was the smartest and most caring person I've ever known," said Jimmy Tillman. "She loved everything she did, and she did it all with passion."
Tillman was a devout Christian and Schloesser said she drew upon her faith for peace and strength.
Friends of Tillman said they didn't initially understand the severity of her illness because she preferred to stay upbeat and downplay the seriousness of her condition. When Schloesser created a blog to keep people updated on the progress of Tillman's cancer, the depth of her struggle became clear.
But even in her last weeks, when Tillman could hardly speak, friends and family remember her determination to be happy.
"She repeated her favorite Bible passage like a mantra," Schloesser said. "'Be joyful, always.' And that's how she lived her life."
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Phil Banker
posted 1/23/08 @ 3:59 PM CST
Fantastic story, McLemore. Easily the stand out story of today's issue. However, I would have liked to see more visuals; photos of the girl, her family and friends. (Continued…)
Kristyn Garcia
posted 1/23/08 @ 11:12 PM CST
Jeannie was an amazing girl. I graduated high school with her and she always had a smile on her face. We were also in girl scouts and softball together. (Continued…)
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