Cara McManus was the kind of person whose energy filled a room. When she first came to Case Western Reserve three years ago, people immediately recognized a special soul.
“Cara came to her interview sporting a bright red parasol,” said Rachel Inman, manager of the university’s graduate testing center, “and enthusiasm to match.”
Sure enough, as a proctor in the testing center, McManus conveyed support and compassion for anxious test-takers who arrived at the center’s space on the Sears Building’s fourth floor.
She maintained that positive spirit even after being diagnosed with lung cancer 18 months ago. Even after doctors also discovered lesions on her brain. Even after the latest medication failed to make an impact. She worked right up until the weekend she was hospitalized for the last time. Six days later, on April 24, in Cleveland Clinic’s Palliative Medicine floor, the 36-year-old passed away. Her husband, Jeffrey McManus, and mother, Joyce Williams, were by her side.
“She was exactly the kind of person any parent would want their child to see in a tension-filled moment,” Vice President for Student Affairs Lou Stark said. “Our campus has suffered an immense loss.”
Services for McManus will be held Wednesday, April 29, at 10 a.m. at the DeJohn-Flynn-Mylott Funeral Home (4600 Mayfield Road, South Euclid). Friends are invited to attend calling hours at the funeral home Tuesday, April 28, from 3 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.
Originally from Columbus, McManus moved to Cleveland after falling in love with Jeffrey, a two-time alumnus of Case Western Reserve who earned his doctorate in biology in 2014. An avid cyclist, she rode 978 miles from May through August 2013, when her cancer was diagnosed. Just a few weeks before her diagnosis, in fact, she had completed a two-day, 150-mile ride to raise money for multiple sclerosis.
McManus continued to exercise through various medication regimens, even adding weightlifting to her activities during one particularly promising stretch. A non-smoker, she also launched a blog (metastaticfantastic.blogspot.com) in part to help end the perception of lung cancer as solely a smoker’s disease. Most recently, she helped launch the local initiative for Breathe Deep Cleveland, a 5K walk/run fundraiser for lung cancer research. The event will be June 27 at Edgewater Park. More information is available online.
On campus, McManus was a member of the Student Affairs Professional Development Committee in 2013 and enjoyed participating in campus events, such as Case for Community Day and the summertime barbecues on the Quad.
McManus is survived by her husband, parents Joyce Williams and Trent Wyckoff, grandmother Margie Williams, and many other relatives.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in her memory to Breathe Deep Cleveland at lungevity.org/Cleveland.