LEE Secondary School Deputy Band Director is a cancer survivor after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020

SAN ANTONIO – LEE Middle School students held a “Pink Out Game” this past weekend as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

For Vicki Watson, assistant director of the LEE school orchestra, the cheerleading show hits close to home.

Watson, a breast cancer survivor, hopes her message to students about getting screened and being proactive about their health will help them for years to come.

“I encourage my students and everyone I know to take a physical every year rather than skip it, because if I had skipped this year and waited, things might have been a little different,” Watson said .

Watson was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 while she was the band director at Kruger High School.

She underwent surgery to remove the tumor and chemotherapy, but this did not stop her from teaching.

“I went to chemotherapy every two weeks,” Watson said. “So every Friday and then Monday I went back to work and my kids were my biggest fans. They were there for me.”

Watson’s students continue to “support her work.”

Now at LEE High School, some students in Watson’s class remember what she went through as a student at Kruger.

“She was a very important figure in my life,” said Lauren DeHart, a LEE High School graduate. “It’s the same now, but especially at that time. And it was really scary, but I saw her really overcome all of that and just dedicate herself to teaching, and it was so amazing to see her be so strong.”

“Just seeing her, the way she teaches us after everything that happened like she did, it’s inspiring,” student Katherine Giblin said. “And it shows us that we can handle anything if we put our minds to it.”

Watson is now cancer-free. She just received great news during her follow-up last week.

And she still does what she loves – teaching.

You can see her passion for music and teaching when you walk into the LEE High School band room.

Watson is also a role model for her students, where about half of the drummers are women.

“I loved playing the drums,” Watson said. “So, I’m glad to see that girls don’t look at it, because only boys can do it, you know? And I’m proud of all my children, but of course, I mean, I’m a woman and they’re there and they’re holding that drum and, you know, they never really complain. So, I like that about the drum part.”

And watching her go through it all is Watson’s son, Russell Watson. He sometimes helps his mother at LI High School. He tells us he is so proud of his mom.

“She’s the best teacher I know,” Russell Watson said. “She is the best woman I know. So, she’s really inspiring. It’s great to see her doing what she loves and enjoying it every single day.”