Jacqui DiFelice, a 48-year-old mother of two and 20-year oncology nurse, joined the staff at the Lowell General Hospital Cancer Center in September 2023. In February 2025, her doctor referred her for a mammogram and ultrasound after Jacqui found a lump. The same day of her scans—and after a full day caring for radiation oncology patients—Jacqui's doctor delivered devastating news: triple negative breast cancer, an aggressive form that doesn't respond to hormonal therapies. In the blink of an eye, she shifted from caregiver to patient and began an intensive treatment plan of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, surgery and radiation at Lowell General Hospital and Tufts Medical Center.
Facing cancer together
Lowell General Hospital colleagues who Jacqui already knew as kind medical professionals transformed into a life-changing circle of physical and emotional support. "I felt like I wouldn't have been able to get through it without them. I had amazing family support and friends, but just feeling so well taken care of and supported where you go for chemo every week—it was incredible." Jacqui's oncoplastic surgeon at Tufts Medical Center in Boston gave her the reassurance of specialized, expert care as she faced a scary procedure. "They were wonderful there. I absolutely loved her."
Back home in Londonderry, NH, Jacqui faced another challenge—parenting through cancer. Christian and Addison, now 8 and 10, knew what their mom did every day for a job: supporting people through cancer treatment. But to see their own mom suffer through the same challenge, sometimes too sick and tired to get out of bed, was different.
Unexpected support when it mattered most
That's when TeamWalk stepped in. First came the relief of financial support as Jacqui carried what felt like an impossible load. "The same week I was diagnosed, my hot water heater stopped working and TeamWalk paid off the balance due at a time when I was unable to work."
Then came the gift of a family trip—a moment of normalcy and joy in the middle of the extraordinary challenge of cancer, made possible with funding from TeamWalk's Make a Memory grant. Jacqui's son Christian, who was only 7 when she began treatment, struggled to understand why his mom had lost her hair and couldn't always play with him.
"He was turning 8 in November, and we wanted to do something super special," Jacqui recalls. "The Make a Memory grant funded us to fly to North Carolina to Great Wolf Lodge, where my family and my best friend met us. That's what made it even more special—we were all together."
Returning to care
Jacqui will complete her treatment this month and has returned to LGH two days a week, resuming her role as a nurse, and is now cancer-free.
To the thousands of walkers and loyal businesses in our community who support TeamWalk each year, Jacqui says, "The resources from TeamWalk are amazing because financially, emotionally, physically—there are so many factors with cancer. The financial part is really a stressor when you're just trying to take care of yourself."
Jacqui plans to walk on May 3, surrounded by her children, family, friends and fellow TeamWalk supporters. Will you join her? Register for TeamWalk 2026 today and be part of a community that shows up when it matters most.
