Nerinx Hall Starts Memorial Scholarship for Clare Blase

The Nerinx Hall freshman passed away last week after battling cancer for almost two years.

A scholarship fund is in the works to honor a Nerinx Hall High School student who passed away last week. Clare Blase, who had been a freshman at Nerinx Hall in Webster Groves, battled cancer for almost two years. Nerinx Hall altered their finals schedule so students could attend funeral services Wednesday. Patch tracked her participation in Pedal for the Cause earlier this year and watched Twitter erupt with local support for her friends and family after news of Clare's passing.  Pauletta Reed, Nerinx Hall director of advancement, said they have not met with Clare's family yet to discuss specifically who would benefit from the scholarship. Reed said they plan to do so after the first of the year. Nerinx Hall is accepting donations for the …

• Photos (1)

UPDATE: Friends and Family Mourning Clare Blase

The Nerinx Hall student and Shrewsbury native had supporters from Creve Coeur to the National Hockey League.

Update: Friends and Family Mourning Clare Blase

The Nerinx Hall student and Shrewsbury native had supporters from Creve Coeur to the National Hockey League.

Students and staff at Nerinx Hall held a memorial service Friday to honor the life and memory of Clare Blase, a freshman student who died following a nearly two year fight against an aggressive form of cancer. She was just days away from her 15th birthday, according to her obituary in St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Blase's story was chronicled in September on Patch, ahead of the 2012 Pedal The Cause event. "Pedal the Cause gives me hope,” Blase, of Shrewsbury, said at the time. “To me, hope means that I can look forward to being around the people I love for a long time. We need to find a cure so parents don’t have to hear the sad news that their child has cancer.” Blase's battle against adrenocortical carcinoma has served as a source of …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Nerinx Hall Teen Battling Cancer to Ride in Pedal the Cause Race

Freshman Clare Blase plans to ride in the 15-mile Oct. 7 race to raise money for the very disease she has. Can you help her get the yellow jersey?

Clare Blase, a freshman at Nerinx Hall High School, knows the importance of the upcoming St. Louis Pedal the Cause event, which raises money for cancer research. That's because the 14-year-old has firsthand experience with the disease. Clare, who lives in Shrewsbury, is battling adrenocortical carcinoma, which is a very aggressive cancer, said Cindy Blase, Clare's mom. Only one in 3 million people are diagnosed with the rare form of cancer, which affects the adrenal gland. “Pedal the Cause gives me hope,” Clare said. “To me, hope means that I can look forward to being around the people I love for a long time. We need to find a cure so parents don’t have to hear the sad news that their child has cancer.” Last year, Clare attended Pedal the …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (2)