Canoe Strong for Rachael Cassidy
Donation protected
Rachael's Story:
At 45 years of age, Rachael Cassidy was diagnosed on July 28th of 2020 with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer. Before this devastating diagnosis, Rachael’s life was full with many blessings (and still is!). She is happily married for 17 years now to her incredible husband Sean. Rachael and Sean are blessed with 2 beautiful daughters, Noel and Joy, ages 15 and 13. As a family, they are probably one of the most active families we know. Rachael works as a school nurse and volunteers as a youth leader for her church’s youth group. Sean works as an executive director for a non-profit and holds a volunteer position Board member and Chairman Emeritus for the Board of Directors for their daughters’ Christian school. The girls love dance and sports, and being part of their amazing school. The Cassidys have also participated in a ministry to many at-risk kids through the YMCA, and multiple exchange students. With a large extended family and friends, they have much to be grateful for.
With such a vibrant and active life, it has come as quite a shock to Rachael and Sean when they found out about her cancer. At first, they were hopeful for a Stage 2 or even Stage 3 diagnosis. In fact, the bone and body scan was ordered to confirm that the cancer had remained localized. Tragically, the cancer had already spread to parts of her brain, ribs, and spine. Rachael had been receiving all of her scheduled mammograms, so this was even more surprising that it was not detected earlier. Being diagnosed with stage 4 as a first diagnosis is called “de novo” metastatic breast cancer, and is not common. The doctor that gave her this news told her that there is no treatment options, and gave her a life expectancy of 6 months - 10 years.
However, Rachael quickly overcame the numbness and fear, and called for a second opinion that same day. Within a few days, she met with a new team of oncologists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA. Dana-Farber doctors did not give her a timeline of life, but instead said that they treat cancer like a chronic illness, not a death sentence. They discussed a plan of care that involved her taking 1 Letrazol and Ibrance (CDK46 Inhibitor) a day for 3 weeks, then being off of it for 2 weeks. The combination of them is supposed to stop the spread of cancer cells and kill them off. She will also need to have blood work done every couple weeks to check her white blood cell count. A CAT scan will be done every 3 - 4 months to see how the cancer cells are responding to treatment, with the expectation of stopping cancer growth.
In addition to traditional oncology care, Rachael is also pursuing what many cancer patients are beginning to pursue - holistic, integrative cancer treatments. She started with the anti-cancer diet: juicing organic vegetables and fruits, and no sugars, processed food, grains, meat, or dairy. The thought process is to remove anything the cancer might use to grow, and allow the vitamins and minerals in fresh vegetables and fruits to help heal and detoxify her body. Rachael was ready to do whatever is necessary, even giving up her beloved Boston Crème donuts! She and her family hit the farmers market and purchased the necessary ingredients for her new juicing regiment. Sean became the Blender King and would prepare the juice mixture each week for her – she needed to do the juicing for 20 consecutive days and avoid the “bad” foods for at least 90 days.
With the help of a holistic cancer clinic in California, Rachael is now following both traditional oncology care with Dana-Farber, and integrative care with the Chilkov Clinic. On October 6th she had a wonderful consult with a California holistic doctor with the Chilkov Clinic. Rachael came away from the consultation feeling a deep sense of peace and true encouragement about the direction of her care under Dr. Chilkov. A few days later, Rachael was given a tailored cancer care plan that dovetails with her traditional care. This plan includes 17 supplements, a supplement shake of 10 elemental ingredients, and an organic plant-based diet lifestyle change, as well as alternative testing orders not covered by insurance. Rachael is very hopeful that the combination of traditional and holistic care will put her cancer into remission. However, the cost of the holistic care is daunting. The supplements’ cost comes to about $495 a month. The cost of the protein shake is $185 a month. The switch to organic fruits and vegetables is also costly. Finally, the requested alternative tests, one in particular, is $5,000. But this expensive test can help laser focus Rachael’s treatment options so no time is wasted on anything that will not work on her particular cancer.
Rachael has had an outpouring of support from friends and family from all over the country. Those who know Rachael love her, and are eager to help. Her daughters’ school started a meal chain upon hearing the news. The teachers at her workplace serenaded her with “Lean on Me,” and raised the money for her first month of supplements. Her brother, Paul, organized a bracelet campaign called “Canoe Strong” (Rachael’s nickname) to show Rachael how many people were going to support her and pray for her. Rachael receives text messages, phone calls, and gifts from friends and family daily. She has been added to the prayer lists of so many churches, and people that she has never met are praying for her complete recovery. And I (Michelle) encouraged her to start a GoFundMe page to help with the costs of her care.
Knowing Rachael for almost 25 years after meeting her in college, I immediately wanted to help Rachael when she told me her news. Rachael is a beautiful friend, mother, and wife, and I want to help her fight to keep the blessings in her life so she can be there for her children and grandchildren. There have been many bumps in the short few months since the diagnosis, and there will be more bumps. A very large bump is the finances for her care. It was an internal struggle for Rachael and Sean to agree to GoFundMe. They wanted to do it all without asking for help, but it is just not financially possible for them to afford it with their already tight budget. Rachael is determined, with God’s help, to overcome this new trial of cancer, and we her family and friends are asking for your help.
Can you give financially for Rachael and her family to help offset these substantial costs – if you are in a position to do so? Can you pass her story page on and help get her the funding she needs, so she can put her cancer into remission, enjoy her daughters, live life with her husband, and bless her friends and family? All of us are so thankful to those of you who feel called to give, as you are a tangible expression of the hope and encouragement she needs. Thank you so much for reading Rachael’s story.
Rachael's colleagues performed a rendition of Lean on Me - Rendition of Lean On Me by school staff for Rachael - Enjoy the Love in this video!
WHEN DONATING PLEASE NOTE: There is a box titled "Tip Go Fund Me" and it has a drop down arrow...please click the "Other" option and then put a 0 (zero) in the box titled "Amount".
At 45 years of age, Rachael Cassidy was diagnosed on July 28th of 2020 with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer. Before this devastating diagnosis, Rachael’s life was full with many blessings (and still is!). She is happily married for 17 years now to her incredible husband Sean. Rachael and Sean are blessed with 2 beautiful daughters, Noel and Joy, ages 15 and 13. As a family, they are probably one of the most active families we know. Rachael works as a school nurse and volunteers as a youth leader for her church’s youth group. Sean works as an executive director for a non-profit and holds a volunteer position Board member and Chairman Emeritus for the Board of Directors for their daughters’ Christian school. The girls love dance and sports, and being part of their amazing school. The Cassidys have also participated in a ministry to many at-risk kids through the YMCA, and multiple exchange students. With a large extended family and friends, they have much to be grateful for.
With such a vibrant and active life, it has come as quite a shock to Rachael and Sean when they found out about her cancer. At first, they were hopeful for a Stage 2 or even Stage 3 diagnosis. In fact, the bone and body scan was ordered to confirm that the cancer had remained localized. Tragically, the cancer had already spread to parts of her brain, ribs, and spine. Rachael had been receiving all of her scheduled mammograms, so this was even more surprising that it was not detected earlier. Being diagnosed with stage 4 as a first diagnosis is called “de novo” metastatic breast cancer, and is not common. The doctor that gave her this news told her that there is no treatment options, and gave her a life expectancy of 6 months - 10 years.
However, Rachael quickly overcame the numbness and fear, and called for a second opinion that same day. Within a few days, she met with a new team of oncologists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA. Dana-Farber doctors did not give her a timeline of life, but instead said that they treat cancer like a chronic illness, not a death sentence. They discussed a plan of care that involved her taking 1 Letrazol and Ibrance (CDK46 Inhibitor) a day for 3 weeks, then being off of it for 2 weeks. The combination of them is supposed to stop the spread of cancer cells and kill them off. She will also need to have blood work done every couple weeks to check her white blood cell count. A CAT scan will be done every 3 - 4 months to see how the cancer cells are responding to treatment, with the expectation of stopping cancer growth.
In addition to traditional oncology care, Rachael is also pursuing what many cancer patients are beginning to pursue - holistic, integrative cancer treatments. She started with the anti-cancer diet: juicing organic vegetables and fruits, and no sugars, processed food, grains, meat, or dairy. The thought process is to remove anything the cancer might use to grow, and allow the vitamins and minerals in fresh vegetables and fruits to help heal and detoxify her body. Rachael was ready to do whatever is necessary, even giving up her beloved Boston Crème donuts! She and her family hit the farmers market and purchased the necessary ingredients for her new juicing regiment. Sean became the Blender King and would prepare the juice mixture each week for her – she needed to do the juicing for 20 consecutive days and avoid the “bad” foods for at least 90 days.
With the help of a holistic cancer clinic in California, Rachael is now following both traditional oncology care with Dana-Farber, and integrative care with the Chilkov Clinic. On October 6th she had a wonderful consult with a California holistic doctor with the Chilkov Clinic. Rachael came away from the consultation feeling a deep sense of peace and true encouragement about the direction of her care under Dr. Chilkov. A few days later, Rachael was given a tailored cancer care plan that dovetails with her traditional care. This plan includes 17 supplements, a supplement shake of 10 elemental ingredients, and an organic plant-based diet lifestyle change, as well as alternative testing orders not covered by insurance. Rachael is very hopeful that the combination of traditional and holistic care will put her cancer into remission. However, the cost of the holistic care is daunting. The supplements’ cost comes to about $495 a month. The cost of the protein shake is $185 a month. The switch to organic fruits and vegetables is also costly. Finally, the requested alternative tests, one in particular, is $5,000. But this expensive test can help laser focus Rachael’s treatment options so no time is wasted on anything that will not work on her particular cancer.
Rachael has had an outpouring of support from friends and family from all over the country. Those who know Rachael love her, and are eager to help. Her daughters’ school started a meal chain upon hearing the news. The teachers at her workplace serenaded her with “Lean on Me,” and raised the money for her first month of supplements. Her brother, Paul, organized a bracelet campaign called “Canoe Strong” (Rachael’s nickname) to show Rachael how many people were going to support her and pray for her. Rachael receives text messages, phone calls, and gifts from friends and family daily. She has been added to the prayer lists of so many churches, and people that she has never met are praying for her complete recovery. And I (Michelle) encouraged her to start a GoFundMe page to help with the costs of her care.
Knowing Rachael for almost 25 years after meeting her in college, I immediately wanted to help Rachael when she told me her news. Rachael is a beautiful friend, mother, and wife, and I want to help her fight to keep the blessings in her life so she can be there for her children and grandchildren. There have been many bumps in the short few months since the diagnosis, and there will be more bumps. A very large bump is the finances for her care. It was an internal struggle for Rachael and Sean to agree to GoFundMe. They wanted to do it all without asking for help, but it is just not financially possible for them to afford it with their already tight budget. Rachael is determined, with God’s help, to overcome this new trial of cancer, and we her family and friends are asking for your help.
Can you give financially for Rachael and her family to help offset these substantial costs – if you are in a position to do so? Can you pass her story page on and help get her the funding she needs, so she can put her cancer into remission, enjoy her daughters, live life with her husband, and bless her friends and family? All of us are so thankful to those of you who feel called to give, as you are a tangible expression of the hope and encouragement she needs. Thank you so much for reading Rachael’s story.
Rachael's colleagues performed a rendition of Lean on Me - Rendition of Lean On Me by school staff for Rachael - Enjoy the Love in this video!
WHEN DONATING PLEASE NOTE: There is a box titled "Tip Go Fund Me" and it has a drop down arrow...please click the "Other" option and then put a 0 (zero) in the box titled "Amount".
Fundraising team: Canoe Strong Team (3)
Michelle Phillips Daut
Organizer
Pawtucket, RI
Sean Cassidy
Beneficiary
Carrie Schiano
Team member
