Del. teacher invited to SOTU by Carney

While Tuesday may be President Obama’s last State Of The Union address, a Kent County teacher will get to experience it for the first time.

Samantha Gustafson, a 4th grade teacher at W. Reily Brown Elementary and mother of two, was  invited to the big night by Congressman John Carney on January 5 as a representative from Delaware.

Gustafson says she got the call during a school day.

“I had to breathe…and I was like, are you sure? Like what?” She recalls, “And he said yeah, he’s very interested and he has a personal connection to cancer and he likes what you’re about and what you speak for.”

For Gustafson, it started with whom she spoke for.

This past December marked two years since the loss of her husband, Brett.

Melanoma claimed the life of her high school sweetheart in 2013, and it left her with their two young boys; however, she tells us her darkest days were channeled into a book she wrote titled “The Prayer Of A Single Mom”.

The book was reportedly picked up by a Christian publisher in the summer of 2015 and then made available for sale in December 2015.

Her story of loss  and hope has now sparked her passion of cancer prevention and early detection.

Gustafson has also participated through a state-wide initiative with the Delaware Division of Public Health known as “Protect Your Skin DE”. The program helps share tips on skin cancer prevention and how to seek treatment.

Gustafson was able to give her testimonial and share her story with the initiative, which then later shared it on multiple media platforms including Facebook and their website.

“I’ve gotten a lot of messages about ‘your story led me to the dermatologist and I found this early’ and that’s one of those you just go…’okay, I can find the good in something bad that’s happened'” She explains.

In a statement released to 47 ABC, Congressman Carney cited the death of former Delaware attorney general Beau Biden as yet another reason to continue fighting cancer.

He says of Gustafson: “It takes a very special person to go through such an unspeakable tragedy and turn it into an opportunity to serve others. I’m very proud that she’ll be representing Delaware at the State of the Union.”

While Samantha will be traveling to Washington D.C. on Tuesday without her children and students, she says she will come back with takeaway lessons.

“This is one of those huge moments where I can say look where your writing can take you.” Says Gustafson, “Look what can happen based on your words and your thoughts and feelings. And my biggest thing is…you can make a difference. Anyone can make a difference.”

The address is set to air at 9 p.m. Tuesday on ABC.