LEWISTON — Whether he was cramming for mid-terms, shooting jump shots or swinging for the fences, Betty Brewster was there for her son, Matt, a 17-year-old student at Poland High School.

After years of being cancer-free, Betty succumbed to her second bout with lung cancer in February.

“She was always there for me whenever I needed her,” said Matt, her only child. “She was amazing.”

After serving as the primary caregiver for her sister, who also had cancer, Betty began her personal battle in 2001. The upper lobe of her right lung was removed and she faced the disease head-on, staying active and doing her best to wear out the school’s track.

The cancer returned in the fall of 2009 and Betty remained determined, promising herself and her family that she would not give up the fight. She kept Matt focused on his schoolwork and cheered as if all members of the Knights baseball and basketball teams were her own.

“She loved being around family and friends and watching games. She would help anyone in any way she could,” said Matt.

The community of Poland rallied to make a contribution in Betty’s memory. Proceeds from the school’s Wall of Hope, filled with cards purchased for a dollar, and a Knights basketball game totaled $515.

Matt presented the check to Operation Inspiration, a program within the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing at Central Maine Medical Center that provides support, education and wellness services at no cost to lung cancer patients, survivors and caregivers.

“My mom would want me to do something good for people,” said Matt. “I know what it’s like for someone to have cancer.”