Alexandra Clithero is a teacher living in Southern Maine with her husband Brandon, their 10-year-old son Austin, and two black labs. In 2021, Alex was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma. What she thought would be a single cancer diagnosis eventually became a much longer journey involving multiple diagnoses, surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation, and ongoing treatment. Today, Alex is living with metastatic breast cancer and taking life one day, and one scan, at a time.
During Alex’s first diagnosis, she was able to work remotely since it was during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although she wasn’t able to tutor and her husband had to miss work for some of her appointments, the family was able to make it work. During her second diagnosis, however, she could no longer work and was placed on long-term disability leave.
“…while I have really good insurance, it’s pretty amazing to me how expensive cancer is. And I really had no idea. I mean, my mom’s a three-time survivor too, but I was always just her daughter emotionally supporting her. I was never aware of sort of the financial burden that comes with it.”
Thankfully, during that second diagnosis, Alex and her family found the Joe Andruzzi Foundation (JAF) through her social worker at Wentworth Douglass Hospital in Dover, New Hampshire, where she has been treated since the beginning of her cancer journey. Alex was grateful to find JAF and other nonprofits that could provide her family with relief during such a tumultuous time.
“JAF paid for propane and for oil, which was a huge lifesaver, especially this winter, where I feel like all it did was snow, and so it meant that as we were trying to keep the house warm, we didn’t have to worry about how we were going to pay for it or racking up more credit card debt.”
While JAF helped ease some of the financial burden, Alex continues to navigate the physical and emotional challenges that come with living with metastatic breast cancer. With three diagnoses in five years, she recently completed six and a half months of chemotherapy. Fortunately, her most recent scans have shown no growth or spreading. For now, that means a break from chemotherapy and more time spent with family, friends, and the activities she enjoys.
Even with those positive scan results, the emotional toll of cancer stays with them.
“I mean, three diagnoses in five years is a lot.”
Alex receives new scans every three months to monitor her cancer. She has worked hard to keep living life to the fullest but understands how difficult the uncertainty can be for her family as well.
“Right now, I’m mentally committed to just living with cancer, and I’m focused a lot on self-care and keeping my mindset positive, but I know for Austin and for my husband, it’s been a lot more anxiety-inducing.”
For now, Alex concentrates on making the most of her time between scans and prioritizing the things that bring her family joy. Austin is hooked on all things sports and getting out into nature, Alex has been trying her hand at making sourdough, and the family loves camping and cooking together.
Throughout Alex’s cancer journey, one thing has remained steady: her support system. When she was first diagnosed, Austin was just starting kindergarten, and what began as a few families offering help quickly turned into an entire community rallying around them.
Austin’s classmates’ parents brought activity bags for him, meals for the family, and offered help with transportation and outings. As Austin became more involved in sports, that support network only continued to grow.
“I actually had my first mastectomy on his first day of kindergarten, and so I had just started to meet the parents of who are now some of his very best friends, and I remember showing up at birthday parties and people just being like, ‘What can we do? How can we help?’”
From DoorDash gift cards to offers to clean her house, support often came from people she barely knew. Those first acts of kindness soon spread throughout the community.
“…this village just appeared, and they have not stopped appearing.”
Alex has been incredibly thankful for the generosity of her friends, family, neighbors, and even strangers who have continued to show up for her family. Their support has not only helped them navigate cancer, but it has also shown Austin the power of showing up for others in need.
Last fall, a friend involved with the local football board approached Alex with an idea to have football players and cheerleaders at Austin’s school collect items for chemo care kits that would be donated to cancer patients. What started as a small community service project quickly caught Austin’s attention.
Inspired by the support his family had received throughout Alex’s cancer journey, Austin eagerly jumped on board.
“…he [Austin] recognized this pretty immediately as something much bigger.”
What happened next exceeded everyone’s expectations. That October, the Hawks for Hope fundraiser was launched, and the response from the community was overwhelming. There were so many donated items that the hospital transformed an old storage closet into what is now the Hawks for Hope store, where patients can browse and access items free of charge.
Since then, Hawks for Hope has continued to grow. Austin has expanded collection efforts into baseball, basketball, and other youth sports programs throughout the community. The Clithero family, along with those who helped inspire and start the fundraiser, has begun the process of turning Hawks for Hope into an official nonprofit organization. Their goal is to continue providing care kits and support for patients and caregivers in need. Looking ahead, they hope to one day expand their impact by offering scholarships to students interested in pursuing careers in healthcare.
For Alex, watching Hawks for Hope become what it has and seeing Austin step into a leadership role has been one of the brightest moments of her cancer journey.
“Austin’s a pretty amazing human being, and I’m not just saying that because he is my son.”
At just 10 years old, Austin continues to inspire Alex with his ability to find positivity in difficult situations and turn hardship into opportunities to help others.
When asked what Alex would want JAF donors to know, her answer was simple.
“I think the most important thing to remember is that there’s a human on the other side of every diagnosis, and any form of donation, whether it’s money, items, materials, rides, all of that really celebrates the human part of cancer and helps those warriors and their caregivers feel like the world around them isn’t so heavy as they’re navigating such a scary situation. And I think the more that people continue to give and support, the more cancer warriors out there can find some sense of security, some sense of positivity throughout their own journey without it feeling like one more stressor on top of another.”
At the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, stories like Alex’s remind us why our mission matters. We are grateful to the Clithero family for sharing their story and for continuing to spread joy through Hawks for Hope. Their commitment to supporting others, even while navigating the challenges of cancer, is a powerful reminder that kindness, community, and compassion can make all the difference.
