Carrie Regan’s brain cancer battle

Dear Friends, Family, and Community of Carrie, Tim, and their daughter,

We have started this GoFundMe page to support our beloved Carrie Regan and her family during her cancer journey. As Carrie and her family undertake a fierce fight against the brain cancer glioblastoma, we can show our fierce support by providing a financial cushion. Cancer is always unexpected, and a brain tumor like glioblastoma in a healthy young mother, even more so.

In August 2023, when Carrie was camping with her daughter in Maine, she experienced throbbing in her leg, dizziness, and nausea. The symptoms continued over the following week. A trip to the emergency room and an MRI revealed a tumor in the left side of her brain behind her eye. A whirlwind of activity followed. Carrie was sent to Maine Medical Center for emergency surgery to remove as much of the brain tumor as possible. The following week she received the diagnosis of stage 3/4 gliobastoma.

In the upcoming months, Carrie will endure six weeks of daily radiation treatments in a hospital 45 minutes away from her home and concurrent chemotherapy, and she also is joining a medical trial involving the FDA-approved device Optune. Carrie hopes that her participation in the trial will help advance medical knowledge. In her typical manner, Carrie is thinking of others and how she can help.

Those who know Carrie know that she has always been devoted to health and to caring for others. Through her massage therapy practice she has helped numerous people reconnect with their bodies or recover from painful injury. Her massage therapy business has been the primary source of income for her family since 2020. Her husband Tim experienced an excruciating work-related spinal injury in 2020 that has necessitated multiple surgeries, countless hours of follow-up treatments, and the closing of the carpentry business Tim had built, RedTail Carpentry. Tim is currently unable to work in any capacity. They have spent their savings and any equity available to pay bills. All funds have been exhausted. And now, unfortunately, Carrie has had to discontinue her practice, as it is too physically demanding during her treatments. For two self-employed individuals, who are unemployed, there is no financial safety net.

Throughout this all, Carrie and Tim have continued to devote themselves to their wonderful 12-year-old daughter, who is an avid, four-instrument musician and outdoor enthusiast. Their daughter shares Carrie’s love of hiking, camping, downhill skiing, and long lake swims. She has even joined in Carrie’s enjoyment of wintertime dips in cold water! She follows in her mother’s footsteps of helping others in her role as a Counselor in Training for the local nature organization White Pine Programs.

Well before Carrie’s diagnosis, their daughter was inspired by learning about a young woman who is a cancer survivor, physician’s assistant, and civilian astronaut, Hayley Arceneaux. She now aspires to study medicine and work with pediatric patients at a place such as St. Jude’s Hospital. This unusual coincidence of life is not lost on any of us, especially her parents. They know their daughter is capable of anything she sets her mind to and they are passionate about supporting her in exploring her interests. The financial stress of providing these opportunities is daunting in the context of their medical challenges.

Carrie’s treatment regimen is going to be grueling, and this is the time for us to step up and create a web of support around the Regan family. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and we ask for your help in providing some relief to these three wonderful humans.

Your donation can help to provide:

Meals for the family during Carrie’s treatments and recovery: $25-$100

Childcare, camps, and activities for their daughter while Carrie is unable to work as she recovers and rests: $150-$250

Co-pays, expenses, and medical bills outside of what Maine Care insurance will cover: $250 and up

Donations of any and all sizes are sincerely appreciated.

Please visit Carrie’s CaringBridge website for updates and opportunities to assist locally with transportation, after school care, grocery shopping, home cooked meals and much more.

Our heartfelt thanks to you for visiting!