Mom of five diagnosed with pancreatic cancer; GoFundMe launched to support her family

Maybe you’ve seen Mary Donovan Friese power walking the streets of Northport, or at pickup at her youngest child’s school – once you meet Mary, you don’t forget her. Her small frame is strong, her arms and legs ripple with muscle. Her short hair is full of curls, her eyes bright, her smile warm and welcoming. She looks confident, determined and very much committed to her children. Last month the Northport resident, wife and mother of five was diagnosed with inoperable stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Her sister, Peggy Donovan Ward, started a fundraiser to help assist Mary and her family. Peggy gave the Journal permission to share the following writeup, from the GoFundMe page she helped organize.

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It breaks my heart even to write this. My younger sister Mary was just diagnosed with inoperable stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer. Sadly, her cancer has metastasized to both lungs, abdominal lymph nodes and renal vein. There has been no treatment as of yet. Tomorrow Mary will have a port placed for chemo and undergo paracentesis, a procedure to drain excess fluid caused by the tumor encasing her pancreas. Hopefully, she will be able to begin chemotherapy by early next week if all goes well.

On Wednesday, we are repeating a pancreas biopsy, hoping to meet the criteria to be accepted into a promising clinical trial. Mary is just 49 years old. She has been married for almost 28 years to her husband Ken, and they have five exceptional children, ages 23, 21, 17, 13 and 10. As a family, we are devastated. As a family, as always, we are united.

My sister Mary is a brilliant writer. She previously worked as a content writer for Minuteman Press for countless years, all while homeschooling five kids, spending time with family/friends and being supermom. More recently, she had been working a local part-time job as she awaited her next career as a Park Ranger. Sadly, she can no longer work. She must focus solely on the children and, of course, on her treatment. That was not a typo. My sister Mary has always put her children first, always. This situation is no different. My sister has been laser-focused on the well-being of her children since the onset of this diagnosis. Her children are always first. That is Mary.

We are starting this fundraiser to bring financial relief to my sister and her family. As a family, we hope that a successful fundraiser will begin to alleviate numerous stressors that, as you can imagine, go way beyond finances.

Mary is a long-time resident of Northport. She has been a dedicated mother and accomplished homeschooler to all five of her children. Her husband Ken's career as a musician and vocal coach afforded the children training and numerous opportunities to excel in music and performance. And so they did. All five of her kids have successfully transitioned from homeschooling to Northport schools and are deeply involved with the Northport community. They are outstanding vocalists, first-string musicians, artists, athletes, Eagle scouts, drum majors and homecoming queens, to name a few. My sister's wishes are to be able to keep her kids involved in all of their activities.

Mary is an elite athlete. She was the only female on an all-boys hockey team as a child. She then went on to play ice hockey for the Long Island Hurricanes in a very competitive female ice hockey league. My sister also trained and competed in martial arts for years and loves weight training. On any given day, Mary could be seen running through the streets of Northport, training for various runs like Cow Harbor and obstacle courses like the Tough Mudder. My strong sister has a tremendous fight on her hands. My sister's physical conditioning, her faith and mental toughness will give her the edge she needs as she fights for her life. We are asking for all of your thoughts and prayers. And I humbly ask for your support in this fundraiser. Please make a small contribution to my sister and her family if possible. Thank you in advance for your generosity and support.

God bless you all,
Peggy and the Donovan Family