Community rallies for Middleport woman fighting cancer

Thomas Tedesco, Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, N.Y.
·2 min read

Apr. 26—MIDDLEPORT — Casey Yaeger has never shied away from helping others or getting involved in her community.

The mother of five has worn many hats as a president of the Royalton-Hartland Elementary School PTA, coach of tee ball and softball games and even home builder during the Covid-19 pandemic.

That began to change when she was diagnosed with Triple Negative Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, a form of breast cancer, right before her 40th birthday last year.

While she was able to maintain a high level of activity for awhile after her cancer diagnosis, her condition continued to deteriorate.

"I went from being fine to being in excruciating nerve and bone pain," she said.

A fundraiser on GoFundMe, organized last month by her friends Erin Townsend and Emily Allen to help cover Yaeger's medical expenses, currently sits at more than $51,000. The page raised $28,000 on the first day.

"It was a huge surprise. At that point while they were doing it... we were pretty much planning on calling hospice care," Yaeger said.

Last month, Yaeger and her husband Tony began preparing for the worst. Friends and family showed up to the house for what they described as a "living wake."

"Everyone descended on our house. For the whole weekend, there were hundreds of people in our house coming in, coming out," Tony said.

Casey recalled that she wasn't sure she would wake up the next morning.

"When I opened my eyes on Sunday I looked around not being sure if I was actually in my room. I looked to my sister and I just go, 'I can't believe I'm alive.'"

Since then, Casey said she has been living on a "total rollercoaster."

Recent immunotherapies she has been receiving over the past few weeks appear to have provided slow but steady improvements.

"She was in a wheelchair for the first four (therapy sessions) and walked in for her last appointment," Tony said.

"Until yesterday I was in a wheelchair," Casey added. "I've just been responding well to what we've been doing."

Casey said the support of family, friends and the community have carried her on her cancer-fighting journey.

"My PTA mom friends jumped right in to give me rides and everybody's just been right there to jump right in and help," she said.