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Memorial held for East Coweta cheerleader

COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — Family and friends said goodbye this weekend to an East Coweta High School cheerleader, who lost her two-year battle to brain cancer last week.

A memorial service was held Sunday afternoon for 17-year-old Madeline McTier Sunday at Crossroads Church in Sharpsburg.

She died Tuesday. Students, faculty and staff honored her life the next day at school by wearing pink.

McTier didn't make it to her senior year, but those who knew her say she put on the fight of her life.

"This school, this community, is a better place for having known a student of the caliber of Madeline McTier," Principal Evan Horton told Channel 2's Liz Artz.

The teen was diagnosed with brain cancer in March 2011.

Horton said it was tough to get through Wednesday's morning announcement. He said she made a lasting impression on him and those who did not know her will through her legacy.

"She's an amazing fighter that fought hard to the very end," Horton said.

McTier cheered competitively and at school for the East Coweta Indians.

Horton said she was a stellar student who was a friend to all.

"She (made) such a great difference in school and in a community in such a short time," Horton told Artz.

McTier's school and community wore gray --  the color for brain cancer awareness -- in her honor at Friday night's football game.

Hundreds of balloons were released and a moment of silence kicked off the game. McTier's face was everywhere -- on banners, helmets, T-shirts. Her megaphone was in line right where she would usually stand.

McTier's parents said their daughter fought a good fight, but in her final days, she told her mom she wanted to go to heaven.