Christie Campbell loses battle with cancer
PAHS, UT grad remembered for poise, grace, strength of character
BY DAN PARKER SOUTH JETTY REPORTER

Always a smile Christie Campbell, who lost her fight against cancer on Friday, Jan. 4, always wore a smile, even while battling cancer and struggling to stay in college. She graduated in May with a Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Texas at Austin, where she is pictured at right, after a Longhorn victory, signified by the UT Tower awash in orange light.

Students saw something new on the wall of Port Aransas High School teacher Melanie Mayer's classroom when they returned to classes on Monday, Jan. 7, after the holiday break.

It was an essay written by one of Mayer's former students, Christie Campbell, who graduated near the top of her PAHS class in 1998. Campbell had written the essay not for a school assignment, but for a Web site operated by Live Strong, a non-profit foundation created by world champion cyclist Lance Armstrong to provide empowerment and inspiration for people with cancer.

Mayer said she posted the essay because she wanted students to remember Campbell for her strong academic and athletic accomplishments at PAHS and for more.

COURTESY PHOTOS

"She had such poise and grace and depth of character," Mayer said. "She just always made a lot of right choices. She was passionate and compassionate for others."

Campbell, who has stood for years among Port Aransans as a youthful symbol of strength and poise in the face of adversity, died on Friday, Jan. 4, surrounded by friends and family at an Austin hospital, after a long battle with neuroblastoma, a rare cancer that originates in the nervous system.

She was 28.

Campbell was born May 27, 1979, in Oklahoma City, Okla., moved to Mustang Island at age 5 and attended Port Aransas schools. She is the daughter of Marna Victoria "Vikki" Nelson, a former Port Aransas resident who now lives in Osage City, Kan.

Juanita and Jimmy Slagle of Port Aransas are Campbell's legal guardians who also have adopted her niece, Francine. Campbell also is survived by Juanita's daughters, Sheryl Novak of Austin and Beth Conley of Rockport; and by Jimmy's daughters, Hannah and Erin Slagle.

Campbell also is survived by sisters Natasha Morgan, of Aransas Pass; Monica James, and Mattie Morales, both of Shawnee, Okla.; brothers Nick Morales of Shawnee, Okla.; Shawn Morales of Shawnee; and Michael and Mark Morales, both of Boston, Mass.; and an uncle and aunt, John and Edna Molloy, of Port Aransas; and a nephew, Robert Morgan, of Osage City.

SOUTH JETTY FILE PHOTO Special guest Christie Campbell, shown with Relay for Life chairman Lynn Ahlstrom, was the guest of honor at the first Port Aransas Relay for Life in April 2006.

At PAHS, Campbell's athletic ability propelled her to the All-District, Regional and All South Texas varsity basketball teams during the late 1990s.

In track, she blazed through the 300 hurdles, making it to regional competition.

Campbell also excelled in academics. She graduated salutatorian of her class in 1998.

Campbell's effervescent personality helped make her popular.

"It didn't matter if people knew her or didn't know her. Somehow, they still gravitated toward her," said one longtime friend, Lydia Matthews, a former Port Aransas resident who was one of Campbell's roommates in Austin when she died. "She lit up a room. Even people who didn't know her wanted to talk to her."

Campbell began attending the University of Texas at Austin the fall after she graduated from PAHS. Academic scholarships paid for a significant amount of her first two years of classes. Mayer said Campbell hoped to eventually become a coach at Port Aransas schools.

The first symptoms of Campbell's cancer began in spring 2002. After the diagnosis, the Port Aransas community responded with a benefit barbecue to help her with medical expenses.

In the years since, she underwent chemotherapy, radiation and other treatments.

Despite her painful and debilitating fight against the cancer, Campbell graduated in May 2007 from The University of Texas at Austin College of Education with a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology and a minor in applied learning and development.

Campbell said her faith was a big part of what kept her going during her cancer battle. Growing up in Port Aransas, she was a member of First Baptist Church.

As awful as cancer was for Campbell, the hardships brought on by the disease made her a better person, she said in an interview with the South Jetty in spring 2006.

"I love who I have become," she said. "I've discovered my own strength and what's most important in my life. … Now, it is very important to see my family in Austin and be with my close friends whenever I can. … I've also learned patience. I've really discovered me - maybe sooner than I would have."

Friends and family marveled at Campbell's ability to cope with the deadly cancer. She kept up a cheerful demeanor. She did volunteer work at a boys and girls club in Austin. She ran a children's Bible study group.

In April 2006, Campbell was the guest speaker at the first Port Aransas Relay for Life - a community event to raise money and awareness for cancer research.

"She was just a fighter," Juanita Slagle said. "And she always thought of other people first. I know that sounds trite, but it's absolutely what she was like.

"I mean, I could call her when I was down, and even when she was in the middle of chemo, she could pump me up," Slagle said. "I would say, 'Man, this isn't right. I'm the one who is supposed to be boosting you up.' "

Campbell "was too good for this world," said Nelson, Campbell's mother. "She was so beautiful. … I thank the Lord our heavenly Father that he gave this child to me and for the life we had."

Mayer coached Campbell in basketball from sixth grade through her senior year in high school.

"I have so many memories of her back in basketball," Mayer said. "But when I think of Christie as a young person, I think of the grace and poise she had as she dealt with the hand that was dealt to her."

Campbell left home while in grade school and lived with several island families before settling with the Slagles when she was in eighth grade.

Mayer said she remembers a conversation she had with Campbell three years ago about the cancer she was fighting.

"She told me she thought God picked her to go through this because she could handle it, and she could serve as an example, through her faith, for how to deal with it," Mayer recalled.

"She had to suffer, but instead of bemoaning it, she accepted it with such grace, people were drawn to her."

In the interview with the South Jetty, Campbell said coping with cancer reminded her of the importance of making the most of each day.

"Basically, everyone is terminal," she said. "Everyone is going to die. You don't know when your time is up, but when something forces you to think, if tomorrow is my last day, what do I do today, it is kind of like giving you an open door. You don't want to have it, but if you didn't, you probably wouldn't appreciate life as much."