Pitt loses cheerleader suddenly

Thursday marked the funeral of 19-year-old Janet Rothenberg, an anthropology student who… Thursday marked the funeral of 19-year-old Janet Rothenberg, an anthropology student who died Saturday, July 18, during her Semester-at-Sea visit to Beijing. The soon-to-be sophomore from Clarks Summit, Pa., was a cheerleader at Pitt with aspirations of becoming a zoologist after graduation.

After her visit to the Great Wall, she began suffering severe headaches and became disoriented, her father, Howard Rothenberg, said. She underwent a CT scan at a Beijing hospital, where doctors found a tumor in her brain stem. Before she could be transported home, the tumor hemorrhaged, disrupting the part of the brain that controls breathing.

“It was quick; it was painless,” Mr. Rothenberg said. “She didn’t know what was happening.”

He also noted that she argued over the phone with her mother, Elizabeth Rothenberg, about coming home because she wanted to stay and continue enjoying the trip.

The funeral, arranged by Ziman Funeral Home, was at Temple Hesed, in Scranton, Pa.

The Institute for Shipboard Education is collecting memorial contributions for the Janet H. Rothenberg Memorial fund. Donations may be sent to the Semester at Sea office in Room 811 of the William Pitt Union.

Mr. Rothenberg said that he would like to thank the University and the Pitt cheerleaders for all their support.