Denise Boudreau Cancer Treatment Fund

Hi, my name is Renee Boudreau Lahood. I am raising funds to help my big sister Denise--our family (Angela, Tim, Tony & Adrien) calls her Dee-Dee--fight and defeat thymoma, an extremely rare form of cancer. For every 1 million people in the United States, only 1.5 people will be diagnosed with thymoma. That means about 400 people per year are diagnosed with this disease.

She went to see her doctor because she had a persistent cough. A chest X-ray revealed she had a 10 CM tumor on her thymus gland. BTW 10 CMs is the size of a grapefruit.

Dee-Dee, who aside from having her tonsils removed when she was eight, has always been amazingly healthy, so the diagnosis came as a complete shock. Ironically, she is a social worker who counsels cancer patients at Reynolds Memorial Hospital in Glendale, West Virginia.

She begins undergoing chemotherapy to reduce the size of the tumor on November 3. She will then have surgery to remove it in mid-January at the WVU Cancer Institute Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center in Morgantown, WV. Radiation treatments will begin after she recovers from the operation.

Although Dee-Dee has health insurance, the deductibles and out-of-pocket costs for her treatment will total approximately $16,000. We are asking family and friends to help defray those costs.

Dee-Dee has been a great daughter to our parents, Jean and Ed, a funny and supportive sister to her five siblings, and a generous aunt to her nieces and nephews. She is a devout member of her church, she contributes to local charities, and is just flat-out an incredible human being.

Your donation will help her win her battle against thymoma. Thanks in advance for your support and please check back here for updates on her progress.