Touching show of support for Palatine teacher fighting brain cancer
PALATINE, Ill. (CBS) -- A northwest suburban teacher was the recipient of a touching show of support Wednesday - it was all a surprise.
When David Yates, a math teacher and coach at Fremd High School in Palatine, showed up to school on Tuesday, 40 of his colleagues had shaved their heads in his honor.
Yates is fighting glioblastoma - a type of brain cancer - and had to shave his head for a new procedure.
Since Yates was diagnosed - people have been sporting "Yates strong" T-shirts for him.
But some colleagues went a step further. The idea started as many good ones do - with Mr. Yates' wife.
She asked his buddies to give him a boost.
"I just texted anybody I knew that would be interested in shaving their heads," said Fremd math teacher Ken Goettsche. "A lot of us were already close to that anyway, so it wasn't too bad."
"I came into work on Monday morning and noticed that a number of members of my department all had shaved heads, and they're all wearing their T-shirts and kind of walking around school," said Yates, "and I saw our principal – that's the one that I think kind of tipped me off when I saw him with a shaved head."
Yates said he is touched by the support of his colleagues and students.
He did his interview Wednesday with CBS 2 assignment editor Tim Jacobi, one of his former students.