The Quinlan Family

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Pat and Amy for many years, long before they had two beautiful girls, Natalie and Anna. Originally, Pat was my husband’s colleague, but the Quinlans quickly became friends.

I wish that what I am writing next was a script for a tv drama and not the true story of the Quinlans but that is not the case.

In 2019, Pat was having lower back pain so he went to the doctor. He came out of that appointment with a diagnosis of stomach cancer that had already spread to other parts of his body. Despite a less than ideal prognosis, Pat has been battling the disease as aggressively as he is able to. Although the cancer never went into remission, everything was going better than expected, until he felt some chest pain. His doctors found fluid on his heart, a terrifying complication tied to his disease and treatment. He just finished another round of chemotherapy in an attempt to give the stomach cancer a final knockout punch and hopefully avoid more complications.

Pat’s battle alone would be a lot for one family to endure, but the story only starts there. In September 2022, Natalie, the Quinlan’s 7 year old daughter slept all weekend and looked extremely pale. Amy took her to instant care, which suggested bloodwork. Those tests revealed cancer markers. A second round of bloodwork at Children’s Hospital in Buffalo confirmed. Natalie has leukemia. She has spent the past month in the hospital, Pat constantly by her side. Her treatment plan is scheduled to run through 2024.

Again, watching your child get bone marrow tests and become too weak to walk up the stairs, be out of school, lose her hair, it would all be a lot on its own.

I recently ran into Amy at the elementary school, where she was cheering on their younger daughter at a school fundraiser. We were supposed to grab lunch the next day, but she needed to postpone; she just received the news that she has breast cancer. Amy’s cancer was caught early. She may be able to avoid chemotherapy as well as the physical and monetary cost. How gut wrenching that this is the silver lining.

Amy doesn’t want to ask for help (I did receive her permission to make her situation public). Honestly, I don’t know how she is functioning with the weight of this on her shoulders (Pat, too). I am hoping to alleviate some of their stress. Even with insurance medical bills add up, and there is also the loss of income due to the various appointments and the need for Pat to take a leave from work.

All funds will go directly to the Quinlans. If you don’t feel like donating through this platform, please reach out. Other helpful items include Door Dash gift cards, Wegmans gift cards or Target gift cards. I am happy to coordinate or you can send directly to Amy.

Please help rally around this family in whatever way you can.