Lend Support to the Lydon Family

My brother Joe is 49 years old, with a loving wife, and four children under the age of 15. Joe was originally diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer in April of 2018. This diagnosis came as a complete shock to our family since he was treated, and misdiagnosed for months, with diverticulitis. From the beginning, his attitude was that he was not going to give up and would fight this disease every step of the way. He intended to use the mentality he gained from his beloved Norwich Military University, and the Coast Guard, and fight. The first six months of chemo was hard, but he did what he set out to do….he fought. However, life threw him a yet another cruel curve ball when he developed an allergy to the chemotherapy that was specifically designed to attack his form of cancer. After three months, and three serious bouts of anaphylactic shock that resulted in hospital stays, another form of treatment was recommended. When this treatment failed, he tried another, but this time it put him in the hospital for over a week. A few weeks ago, his doctor’s at Dana Farber, determined that treatment is no longer recommended. As a result, Joe has been sent home to be with his family. Hospice nurses are visiting three times a week to keep his pain under control and he still continues to fight despite everything. Joe’s primary concern now is the impact this disease is having on his family, his friends, and the long-term financial hardship for Denise, Christina (15), Joseph (11), Kelley (10), and Michael (9). It would be greatly appreciated if you could keep our family in your prayers. Please know that every donation, even the smallest amount, will make a difference. Thank you in advance for respecting the family’s privacy while we try to keep Joe as comfortable as possible. We can’t thank you enough for the outpouring of support from the Mansfield community, the calls, dinners, texts, and questions regarding how to help. Heartfelt regards, Nicole Laflamme