February 19, 2008
“And ev'ry task you undertake becomes a piece of cake A lark! A spree! It's very clear to see that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, the medicine go down, in a most delightful way." - From Disney's 1964 classic movie, Mary Poppins.
And nobody can make the medicine go down better than Molly Buttercake.
Recently, I was reading my hometown Mound City News when I noticed a front-page story about Molly Buttercake.
"Who in the world could that be," I wondered?
The name alone intrigued me so I read further, and it did not take long before I was on the phone talking to Molly herself.
Turns out, Molly is really Cate Kenny, a Mound City, Missouri, high school art teacher. An inspirational mentor, wife, mother, fan of wearing-colorful-neckties to the classroom, and, oh yes, a recent cancer patient.
It seems that Mrs. Kenny was diagnosed with cancer last fall, but with her usual good cheer and creativity, Mrs. Kenny used "her ace in the hole", Molly Buttercake, to get her through.
Molly would know just what to do, Mrs. Kenny explained.
Some years ago, Mrs. Kenny realized one particularly stressful day in the classroom that there was no point in going around with constant worry, nervous tension, anxiety, and mental strain.
Something had to change. "How about my name," she wondered? She thought hers far too serious any way.
From that moment on, she announced to her students she would be known as Molly Buttercake. After all, with a happy name like that, there would be no stress, no pressure, no worries.
"So, I named myself Molly Buttercake," she said.
Even before Molly was diagnosed with cancer, she realized there was a need to share her name with others who were also going through stress-filled situations. It was time for the Buttercake family to be formed.
Molly Buttercake would be just the spoonful of sugar others needed.
Molly says when you have "bitter medicine" to take in life or things are not going well, "I will do your worrying for you."
A fellow teacher had a bad year. A friend struggled through her PhD studies. Mrs. Kenny's real-life daughter was graduating from college and about to be on her own.
Molly to the rescue.
"Those who pass through difficult or worrisome times are allowed to share the Buttercake name and join the family," she says. Now, those three mentioned above are renamed Holly Buttercake, Bonnie Blue Buttercake, and Miss Dolly Buttercake.
Mrs. Kenny, when she first learned she had cancer, recalled, "It turned me on my head. I could not imagine how to handle it, but my students were phenomenal for me." They carried her down this arduous road with kindness and strength and assisted her financially with creative fundraising projects that would make any art teacher proud.
Cate Kenny has 11 weeks of chemo behind her with nine weeks to go and surgery and radiation still ahead. Happily, she also has Molly Buttercake, her very own spoonful of sugar.
