NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Nine years ago, Jessica Dabrowski was asked to speak about her experience with cancer at the annual PopCares dinner. 

 

"As I reread what I wrote, it's hard to believe that it was just the beginning. Little did I know there would be so much more," she told the more than 400 people at this year's dinner. "Since I first spoke, I have relapsed. Now let me take that back. My cancer has relapsed twice. I have been through two separate rounds of radiation, treatment chemotherapy, and will be possibly starting my third round of radiation in the next few weeks."

 

Dabrowski was diagnosed with an uncommon form of blood myeloma in 2011 and said she's tried hard not to let the disease define her. 

 

"My story is long and not pretty," she said, and that her body carries the scars of her battle against the disease. "I continue to battle incurable cancer, at some point, I will again push cancer side, continuing to let it be a part of my life, but not who I am, but for today, someone battling incurable cancer, and it sucks, and that is my only truth."

 

She was first diagnosed almost at the same time she learned she was pregnant. Her illness has been a part of her daughter Jordan's entire life.

 

Jordan chose to write about Popcares for a school assignment, explaining that "Popcares is a group of people that donate money to cancer patients like my mom. My mom has been going through a lot of hard times, and then Popcares gave her card. The card brightened her day. Popcares helped our family a lot. ...

 

 "My dad knew what PopCares did for my mom, and then my dad started to help raise money for PopCares."

 

Dabrowski's husband, Nicholas, an Adams police officer, has become involved in raising funds to help families like his own. He's probably best known for his "Movember" fundraiser when his mustache, named "Mo," returns for a no-shave month. Last year's fundraiser raised $3,200.

 

Nicholas Dabrowski and the Adams Police Department were presented the Spirit of Kindness Award for their fundraising efforts. 

 

The charity also presented Community Partner Awards to Robert West of West Oil Co. and Bruce Gaspardi of Southside Sales for their "unwavering education and extraordinary support for our community and to Popcares."

 

Adams Community Bank was recognized for raising more than $167,000 for Popcares since 2015. 

 

After several years of pandemic takeout, PopCares returned to GreylockWorks on Oct. 5 for its chicken dinner by David Nicholas of Bounti-Fare. The dinner is a major fundraiser for the charity established in memory of William "Pop" St. Pierre, who died from cancer in 2012. 

 

His son Michael St. Pierre, treasurer and co-founder of PopCares, said they had spent time in hospitals and doctors offices as their father battled the disease. They heard families and patients talking about how their own battles were made harder by financial stress. 

 

"One person talked about how he had to choose between groceries and paying for copay. Another mentioned how she couldn't pay the rent and utility bill. So that really bothered me and stuck with me for a long time," he said.

 

Later, he spoke with his wife, mother and his siblings about starting the charity. They liked the idea but thought it a little "crazy" as they had no experience with fundraising and planning. 

 

The first event was a dinner at Bounti-Fare. The were hoping for 200 but had only 50 with two weeks to go. But they ended up with 280 and raised $18,000.

 

Since that dinner, PopCares has raised more than $1 million and helped 1,355 people. Its donations help with bills, gas, travel to doctors and comforts during their worst times. All the funds raised by PopCares stay within the community.

 

"Pop said that the secret to happiness is to help others and expect nothing in return. Words we live by today," St. Pierre said, adding that the people donated to appreciative and tell them their stories. "It fuels our commitment to the cause we believe that no one should face cancer, our privilege to stand by our community members during this most challenging time."

 

The community has given generously to PopCares and Saturday's dinner was no exception. The in-person event meant the silent auctions, raffles and loud auctioneering was back, with desserts again commanding some high prices. Whoopie pies were going for more than $300 and a margarita cheesecake for $270. 

 

Nearly 30 items were auctioned off, ranging from fuel oil to yard work to picnic table to a 6-foot copper snake that went for $1,025. 

 

There was a bit of joke auctioning of a "limited edition" Jack's Hot Dog mug for $5,350 — but that was just the intro for the donation from a golf tournament fundraiser.

 

The evening brought in close to $40,000 and will further PopCares efforts to help community members dealing with cancer. 

 

"I know people will say you are not broken, but this is reality, and this journey often leads you feeling broken," Jessica Dabrowski said. "But broken isn't all that bad. We heal as humans after we are broken. The Japanese have an art called kintsugi, where they take broken pottery and fill in the cracks with gold. ... reinforcing the fact that there is beauty in broken bits."