PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A Caribou resident is being featured in March for Courage in The County, a series that spotlights local individuals and families who have shown great courage in fighting cancer.
In 2013, then-10-year-old Zachary Gagnon of Caribou noticed a pain that was radiating down his right arm. A short time later, doctors discovered a growth approximately the size of a tennis ball in the same area. Zach was soon diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a type of bone cancer that occurs most frequently in children and teenagers.
Zach’s mother, Peggy, said that this is “not environmentally related but is attributed to a chromosome that splits at birth.”
The family relocated to Boston for a year, where Zach received six weeks of proton radiation treatment. In February 2014, doctors removed the remainder of the tumor from his arm, and in July 2014, Zach was considered in remission.
In any cancer scenario, the patient receives frequent checkups and follow-up care. “We had follow-up scans every three to five months,” his mother said. Less than a year later a growth was discovered on his right lung. “That began another whirlwind of trauma and stress, and it was a downward spiral for us,” she said.
To try to create a positive distraction for Zach, the family made the decision to get a pet. In the summer of 2014, Peggy had seen a post on Facebook about a litter of Goldendoodle puppies. She contacted the breeder, only to find out that there was already magic happening behind the scenes.
“Having heard that Zach was diagnosed with cancer and understanding that having a dog would be therapeutic for him, we will be forever grateful to Maranda and Darren Donovan of Mapleton. They gave Ginger to Zach as a gift,” explained Peggy.
Because of Zach’s treatment schedule, Peggy was not working at the time, and though she had planned to purchase a puppy herself, this gift eased that burden. “It was a tremendous blessing that they stepped up and gave Zach this puppy, and she’s quite a tremendous support and quite therapeutic for both of us actually.”
According to Brenda Baker, manager of The Aroostook Medical Center’s Aroostook Cancer Care Center, pet therapy has been proven to lower blood pressure and overall stress.
“Pet Therapy is fantastic. It calms people, especially kids that no one can reach,” said Baker. “Kids with autism respond to pets. You can give them a dog or a cat and suddenly they start talking. They won’t tell you any secrets, but they may tell their pet and that can be a big relief for them.”
Having a strong, positive attitude is pivotal in the process, but not always easy to maintain. “It’s kind of become a routine for me,” said Zach, now 13. “I’ve just kind of gotten used to going back and forth for appointments and getting into the groove of things.”
Peggy said Ginger is like a member of the family and travels with them to appointments. “She’s very loving; she would sleep in the bed with [Zach] at the Cancer Center. She was very calming for him.”
“Ginger has been a big help with all of this because she’s sort of like a teddy bear. She seemed to know what I was going through and she would snuggle with me when I would get my treatments,” explained Zach.
Courage in The County, which encourages efforts that lead to early detection and promotes activities that support local cancer patients, is a collaboration of TAMC, Northern Maine Medical Center, Clukey’s Auto Supply, NorState Federal Credit Union and WAGM-TV.
