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Scholarship honors paramedic who died of breast cancer

The family of Rebecca “Becky” Ann Scott, 28, created a scholarship fund for those entering paramedic and EMT programs

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Rebecca “Becky” Ann Scott died of breast cancer on Oct. 27 after an 18-month battle with the disease.

Virtua Facebook photo

BURLINGTON, N.J. — A group of police officers decided to honor a young paramedic who died of breast cancer by raising funds for a scholarship in her name.

Rebecca “Becky” Ann Scott died of breast cancer on Oct. 27 after an 18-month battle with the disease. She was 28.

Scott was an EMT in Mansfield Township and a paramedic at Virtua in Burlington County. Scott continued working as an EMT and paramedic until 12 days before her death.

She was planning to marry her fiancé, Matthew Revy, in November, the Courier-Post reported.

To honor her memory and her passion for EMS, her family decided to create a scholarship fund in her name for those entering paramedic and EMT programs.

Officers from the Burlington City Police Department started a challenge to help raise money in her name: No-Shave November.

Considering the importance of the month of November, when Scott was to be married, the officers undertook the challenge, forgoing shaving to spur conversation and raise breast cancer awareness.

Hundreds of people donated to the GoFundMe page set up to for the scholarship, raising $20,568, more than $15,000 over the goal.

“It was outstanding. I thought it was wonderful,” Bill Scott, Rebecca’s father said.

Scott found out she had breast cancer in May 2014, when it had already spread to her liver. She fought hard for 18 months, but it was a very aggressive form of breast cancer.

“That’s all she wanted to do was continue to work. It’s a shame. I give her a lot of credit. Not many people have that kind of passion,” Officer Charles Haney told the Courier-Post.

Scott’s father described her as a caring person with a great sense of humor. “She was quite a young woman. She made me very proud,” he said.

Scott was posthumously named the 2015 Outstanding Paramedic of the Year by the New Jersey Department of Health.

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