Family and friends rally around mother and son fighting cancer

Tomorrow night they rock out, and next weekend they will run.

That is the upcoming itinerary for supporters of the Williamsons of Canton, a tight-knit family of four who are bravely waging two separate cancer battles — diagnosed late last year just months apart of each other.

Patti and George Williamson

In August, mom Patti was “shocked” to learn that she had Stage III breast cancer, a discovery made during a routine mammogram screening. And then in October, the Williamsons were blindsided yet again when they were informed by doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital that their youngest son, George, a freshman at Canton High School, had acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL).

“It was heartbreaking,” Patti said of her son’s diagnosis, which she described as far more serious than her own. “It was overwhelming — awful, just awful.”

Needless to say, it has been a very difficult past few months for both mother and son — and for father Todd and older brother Fred — marked by painful medical procedures and lengthy hospital stays. And both still face a long road to recovery, with weekly chemotherapy treatments for Patti and an even more aggressive treatment protocol for George.

In an effort to ease their burden and to show them they are not alone, two different groups have organized charity events in their honor — and both are promising a good time for a good cause.

Tomorrow night beginning at 7 p.m. at Waxy O’Connor’s in Foxboro, the Friends of the Williamsons will kick things off with a benefit concert headlined by Thirty 6 Red, a popular local cover band featuring Canton native Jim Politano on bass.

Politano, a former classmate of Patti’s from the Canton High School Class of 1985, said he jumped at the chance to be a part of the event when he heard about the plight of the Williamsons through a mutual friend.

“This was a no brainer,” said Politano, who has been a fixture on the local music scene for the past two decades.

For years the band did a lot of big charity events, but Politano said they now prefer to do smaller fundraisers where they can see where the money is going.

“When we do a charity event, we want to be able to hand someone an envelope at the end of the night and make sure that it’s going to where it’s supposed to be going,” he said.

Patti’s sister Mary Dindy, one of the organizers of the concert, raved about the generosity of Politano and his bandmates.

“When Jim learned of the Williamsons’ diagnosis, he immediately offered the talents of Thirty 6 Red to perform for a benefit for Patti’s family,” she said. “Jim and I have many mutual friends still in Canton and share a lot of great memories. Jim is a true gentlemen, professional, polished, and one who never forgets his friends.”

Mary, who has always been very close with Patti and her family, said she was utterly devastated when she learned that her sister and nephew had cancer.

“I silently knew from the first day as we stood as a family in the ICU at Boston Children’s Hospital what they were up against,” she said. “I decided we can help fight cancer for both of them by making things easier.”

Mary said the Friends of the Williamsons started with small gestures of kindness among family and friends and has grown incrementally over the past few months. They have since held several fundraisers and also maintain a Facebook page that generates both financial and emotional support for the family.

“My hope,” said Mary, “is that we can raise money so there is no stress for my sister’s family and they can focus primarily on both Patti and George receiving their treatment and moving forward toward a full recovery.”

George’s cross country teammates have also been a big source of support for the family, and next Saturday, March 29, they will host their own fundraiser for the Williamsons — a Fools’ Day Fun Run — beginning at 9 a.m. at the CHS lower fields.

There is no fee to participate, but donations of any size are accepted and encouraged. There will be two heats — competitive and noncompetitive — and spectators can purchase water balloons at the start of each race to throw at the runners. There will also be an “awards ceremony” featuring whip cream pies and a dunk tank courtesy of It’s 2 Cool, a Canton-based entertainment company.

The fun run was conceived by the CHS cross country captains, and Patti said the entire family has been touched by their efforts and their ongoing concern.

Sadly, it was during cross country season that George started experiencing symptoms of leukemia, including leg pain that the family initially attributed to his new running regimen.

Williamson family: Todd, George, Patti and Fred

But one Saturday morning George woke up with pain so severe that he couldn’t get out of bed and a fever that climbed to as high as 108 degrees. After a visit to the pediatrician’s office, they were sent in to Children’s Hospital, where a blood test quickly confirmed the family’s worst fears.

“It was very serious,” recalled Patti. “He went straight into the ICU, had surgery, and then went back into the ICU on a breathing machine.”

Today, George is out of the hospital and even back to school on a part-time basis; however, he still faces a grueling treatment regimen consisting of twice weekly chemotherapy for the next two years.

Patti said he has taken everything in stride and has proven to be “amazingly strong.”

“He just took everything that came at him,” she said. “He’s never really complained. He’s very stoic, a really strong kid.”

As for her own cancer battle, Patti has undergone two surgeries as well as radiation and chemotherapy. She readily acknowledges that she has her “good days and bad days,” but she finds it hard to complain considering what her son has gone through over the past six months.

One of the biggest silver linings is that mother and son have grown closer through this trying ordeal. “We’ve shared a lot in our journey through cancer,” admits Patti.

Patti also could not say enough about all of the love and compassionate shown by family and friends.

“Everyone has been so helpful and generous,” she said. “My whole family has been really great. My husband has been amazing. I don’t even know what else to say. It’s overwhelming, really.”

Tickets to the Friends of the Williamsons benefit concert are $10 at the door. For more information, go to the Friends of the Williamsons Facebook page or email friendsofwilliamsons@gmail.com. For more on the Fools’ Day Fun Run, search for the event page on Facebook or email foolsdayfunrun@gmail.com.

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