Supporting the Daigle Family Through Cancer

Our dear friend Amanda is currently going through her second round of aggressive treatment to battle pancreatic cancer. She was originally diagnosed in November 2021 at the young age of 41. It still shocks me to say these words out loud. If you have ever had the pleasure to meet Amanda or her husband, John, then you already know that the term ‘Good People’ epitomizes them.

Amanda and John are public school teachers. The genuine warmth, respect, approachability, and caring that they show their friends, family, and neighbors provide us with a small glimpse of how lucky their students are to have them in their lives.

When Amanda was diagnosed she had to walk away from her teaching position. There was no other option after Amanda and John were told that she would be going through months of chemotherapy followed by radiation and ultimately undergoing the major surgical operation called the Whipple procedure. Amanda, John, and their three children – Molly, Chloe, and Matt who were between the ages of 7-11 at the time – were warriors during this most difficult period in their lives. Despite watching their wife and mother go through the extreme side effects of the treatment, they rallied around her and took on the multitude of things that Amanda usually managed.

We all celebrated on June 9th, 2022, when after the 6-hour surgery we learned the news that the tumor was successfully removed and the initial view of all margins were negative. The culmination of chemo, radiation, and finally the Whipple procedure was a success! We were beyond grateful with the knowledge that our dear friend was cancer-free after a grueling 8-month battle.

Her 3-month post-op scans in September 2022 allowed all her loved ones to let out a collective sigh of relief and shout the words that we had been desperately waiting to say: Amanda is our Cancer Survivor! Since the diagnosis, life continued to move forward around them, as it does. But so much of their life was paused. Yes, there was now the challenge of learning how to manage Amanda’s new diagnosis of insulin-dependent diabetes since her entire pancreas was removed during the Whipple procedure, but life for the Daigle family could finally move forward.

As Amanda worked on regaining her strength and learning how to use a continuous glucose monitoring system, her Massachusetts General Hospital team continued to follow her progress closely. Then, on November 30, 2022, we received the crushing news that Amanda had a localized recurrence of her pancreatic cancer near the original tumor site. This past January she started her second battle to eradicate this thing once and for all through more chemotherapy and radiation.

Amanda’s crew is starting this fundraiser to bring financial relief to their family. We hope that a successful fundraiser alleviates the numerous stressors that, as I am sure you all understand, go way beyond finances. Any donation is appreciated. And we thank you in advance for taking the time to read this message and for your generosity and support.