SHELBURNE FALLS — Andrea Dicaire met Joe Giard while he was on shift at the Transfer Station. After noticing his weeks-long absence, Dicaire was relieved to find out her friend was alright.
The friendship between Dicaire and Giard, as well as their families, has sustained them through health and illness. While Dicaire was concerned about Giard’s health when they first met, that concern has not been a one-way street, since Dicaire was diagnosed with a rare disease.
Dicaire has three Tarlov cysts on her back that have left her in severe pain over the past 11 months, as well as a blood disorder. Also known as perineural cysts, Tarlov cysts grow at the nerve roots in the spine, where they fill with fluid. The exact cause of Tarlov cysts is unknown.
To relieve her from the pain, Dicaire needs surgery performed by Dr. Frank Feigenbaum in Dallas, Texas. The procedure has an out-of-pocket price of $80,000. Giard and his wife, Shirley Scott, have started an online fundraiser to offset costs.
“She is part of the family,” Scott said of Dicaire. “We want to do anything we can to save her.”
After an episode of severe pain last September sent her to the hospital, doctors discovered the three cysts. The Shelburne Falls resident was sent back and forth to doctors across the state for several months until she found Feigenbaum in Texas, someone who could help.
Dicaire, who moved to the area eight years ago, has two children, Kenzie, 14, and Hunter, 19. She said she knows few people in the region.
“The few people I’ve met here have been wonderful,” Dicaire commented. “They give me emotional and financial support.”
She worked at Frontier Regional School as an instructional assistant for children with autism, but left work in November, unable to bear the pain of her illness. Dicaire now stays home with her daughter and sings to pass the time.
“Andrea has the voice of an angel,” Scott said.
She also used to run frequently, being known as the jogger in her neighborhood.
“I had to give up my passion when I got this illness,” Dicaire added.
She tries to stay happy despite her hardships.
“I am really struggling through my pain,” she said.
Scott and Giard have supported Dicaire throughout her illness. In addition to creating a GoFundMe, they’ve also committed to paying for half of her surgery.
Dicaire’s GoFundMe page is available at bit.ly/3P4mUnb.
Contact Bella Levavi
at blevavi@recorder.com
or 413-930-4579.