Golden Valley High staff hold surprise send off for administrator awaiting liver transplant

Behind her blue sunglasses, Megan Cope cried tears of joy as she hugged several of her co-workers and close friends outside of her Merced home Sunday afternoon.

Cope, who is an associate principal at Golden Valley High, is battling primary sclerosing cholangitis, or PSC, a rare liver disease.

Many of her co-workers and friends on Sunday lined her street, surprising her with get well signs and messages of encouragement, as she departed for for St. Louis, Missouri, where she awaits a liver transplant.

At the gathering, some sported yellow and red Wonder Woman shirts, which carry a special meaning.

“We started Wonder Woman Wednesdays at our school (Golden Valley) and these shirts indicate that she’s our Wonder Woman,” said Ashley Faraone, a counselor at Golden Valley and Cope’s best friend.

The Wonder Woman shirts were designed with the hope that it can bring awareness to the disease. In an effort to raise money for medical expenses, Golden Valley faculty set up a GoFundMe page with the goal of raising $50,000.

Faraone, the primary organizer for the GoFundMe page who also designed the shirts, spearheaded Sunday’s gathering and other activities to showcase how much Cope means to her family, friends and colleagues.

“Megan is so important to so many people in her community and we’re wearing these shirts, we’re behind her, we just want her to know how much we love her and (we’re) rooting for her to come home healthy because this has been rough,” Faraone said.

Matt Thomas and Nicole Rose, friends of Cope, both knew they couldn’t miss the chance to send her off, getting emotional as they hugged and said goodbye. As her friends, they wanted to be there to show support as Cope continues to “fight the good fight.”

“We just hope she keeps her spirits up and knows that we all love her and we’re so excited for her to come back with a brand new liver,” Thomas said.

The gathering, Rose said, truly speaks volumes about the impact Cope has had on Golden Valley and in the Merced Union High School District as a whole.

“You have people here from all parts of our district and I think it shows what a family we are and how much we support each other,” Thomas said. “She’s an amazing woman. She’s a great advocate for kids, super strong.”

Sunday ended with several goodbye hugs, prayer, and waving to Cope as she drove off.

Cope is expected to return to Merced within the next few weeks and will resume her associate principal position in the fall.