August 1, 2025
Local Teacher Battling Cancer Seeks Community Support For Sons School Supplies
By Kyle Coppola
Local Teacher Battling Cancer Seeks Community Support For Sons School Supplies
Zenia Copeland, a lifelong Mount Dora resident and dedicated educator, is calling on her community for support as she continues to battle serious health complications that have derailed her career and affected her ability to provide for her young son.
Copeland, 36, began her journey in education with a deep passion for helping children be the best they can be. After graduating from Mount Dora High School and earning her A.S. in Early Childhood Education from Seminole State College in 2020, she spent four years as a teacher assistant at Sorrento Elementary, where she earned a reputation for her compassion and warmth in the classroom.
(Zenia who has been battling cancer and other health issues is doing everything she can to support her son despite her challenging situation.)
“I was kind of a hothead as a kid,” said Zenia in an emotional message on her GoFundMe page. “But I always had a heart of gold.”
Her career was unfortunately put on hold in 2023 after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. What was supposed to be a milestone year turned into months of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. Despite the toll on her health, Zenia remained committed to education, later working as a substitute teacher when her condition allowed.
(Zenia is passionate about education and loves teaching in the classroom.)
Now, just as she hoped to return to the classroom in 2025, her health has taken another turn. This July, Zenia was hospitalized with rare blood clots on her spleen and liver. With her immune system weakened, she has been in and out of the hospital, unable to work consistently—including missing out on her summer job and the annual trip she takes with her son.
“I thought 2025 would be my comeback year,” said Zenia. “But here I am still battling.”
Living with her elderly mother, who is also dealing with her own health issues on a fixed income, Zenia says she is struggling to purchase basic school supplies and clothes for her son as the new academic year approaches.
Zenia has turned to the community for help through a GoFundMe campaign, seeking even modest donations to get through this critical period. “I’m not asking for much, just a little help in a time of need,” she said. “I’m writing this with tears in my eyes and hoping for the best.”
If you can donate to Zenia the GoFundMe link is here. If you can’t donate, a simple prayer in the comments would go a long way for her.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
